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Bellwether Wines,Coonawarra review:This hidden gem is the perfect stop halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide

In the heart of the Coonwarra wine region,Bellwether marks the halfway point between Melbourne and Adelaide,making it an excellent point to break up the journey.

  • byKylie McLaughlin
BALNAVES CELLAR DOOR. COONAWARRA

Drop by:Coonawarra

Wine and travel writer Winsor Dobbin presents the first in a fortnightly series of 30 guides to Australia and New Zealand's leading wine regions.

Wynns Coonawarra estate.

The South Australia guide:further afield

Fancy a road trip? The Coonawarra,Limestone Coast and the Clare Valley are all great destinations to explore if you have a little more time up your sleeve.

Dating back to 1947,th biennial Barossa Vintage Festival includes about 150 events spread over a full week of festivities.

Five best events

The five best events for foodies in South Australia.

  • byMark Chipperfield
Uncorked ...barrels line the walls at Wirra Wirra.

Uncover a fine state of fares

From the cool Eden Valley to the lesser-known Mount Lofty Ranges,Winsor Dobbin dishes up the best destinations for a top drop.

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Seed assets ... grapes are harvested in the Barossa Valley.

Discover South Australia's wine country

Winsor Dobbin takes a poetic journey around Australia's premier grape state.

Time out to indulge ... the festival crowd at Elder Park in 2007.

Ready to sip,sup and party

Winsor Dobbin surveys the menu for a week of food,wine and fresh produce with the return of Tasting Australia.

Family affair ... three generations of the Potts family? (from left) Len,Bill and Ben? make wines at Bleasdale Winery,located in the Langhorne Creek region on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Worthy of the best-cellars list

Off the wine lovers'beaten track,Winsor Dobbin finds there are plenty of hidden gems deserving attention.

The Wynns Coonawarra Winery

Coonawarra - Places to See

<b>Coonawarra</b><br><b>Centre of the wine growing South East region</b><br>Located 381 km from Adelaide,Coonawarra is one of Australia's (and South Australia's) most grape growing and wine producing areas. Along the road from Coonawarra to Penola (a distance of only 7 km) there are a total of 21 wineries.[The two entries on<a href="SAPenola.shtml">Penola</a>and Coonawarra are designed so that if you are heading south from Coonawarra the wineries are in the order you will experience them and if you are heading north from Penola they are in correct order].This is the result of an extraordinary situation where there are beautiful red soils (terra rossa) stretching 14 km and lying on top of limestone. The town's name,although no one is exactly sure,seems to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning'wild honeysuckle'.

Coonawarra - Fast Facts

<b>Coonawarra</b><br><b>Centre of the wine growing South East region</b><br>Located 381 km from Adelaide,Coonawarra is one of Australia's (and South Australia's) most grape growing and wine producing areas. Along the road from Coonawarra to Penola (a distance of only 7 km) there are a total of 21 wineries.[The two entries on<a href="SAPenola.shtml">Penola</a>and Coonawarra are designed so that if you are heading south from Coonawarra the wineries are in the order you will experience them and if you are heading north from Penola they are in correct order].This is the result of an extraordinary situation where there are beautiful red soils (terra rossa) stretching 14 km and lying on top of limestone. The town's name,although no one is exactly sure,seems to derive from an Aboriginal word meaning'wild honeysuckle'.