It was expected that Beringer Blass would appeal against what was thought to be the final and long-awaited decision on exactly where the boundary of the famous Coonawarra appellation lies (see Coonawarra boundary – a decision at last) because the 'official' decision puts their Robertson's Well vineyards well and truly outside it. But the wine arm of Fosters has been joined by four more aggrieved wine producers who would like to be included in the warm embrace of Australia's most famous geographically distinctive wine region.
Just to show how geographically diverse the vast Australian island is, Coonawarra is still damp and cool and showing little signs of summer, according to Tesco's man in Adelaide, Master of Wine Phil Reedman, whereas the Hunter Valley hasn't seen a drop of rain for months. But those bushfires have not affected vineyards, despite earlier news reports. Picking will start there within the next week or two for sparkling wines. Terrain more different from Champagne than the parched Hunter Valley would be difficult to imagine.