Katnook Estate

The Katnook Estate site is among the most historically significant in Coonawarra. In the 1860s, Scottish pastoralist John Riddoch established the Katnook woolshed as the headquarters of his pastoral and agricultural operations in the South East South Australia colony. Riddoch went on to found the Coonawarra Fruit Colony in 1890, subdividing the terra rossa strip into ten-acre blocks for fruit and vine plantings, an act that established Coonawarra as a vineyard region and indirectly created the modern Coonawarra wine industry. The original 1860s Katnook woolshed survived the transitions from pastoral land to fruit colony to modern wine region and was eventually restored as the Katnook Estate cellar door, a function it has served for decades. The woolshed remains one of the iconic visitor sites in the Limestone Coast wine zone, embodying the direct historical line from Riddoch's founding vision to the contemporary Coonawarra wine industry. The modern Katnook winemaking operation was established in the 1970s as part of the Yunghanns family's Wingara Wines, with the first commercial Katnook wines released in the late 1970s.

• 1860s: John Riddoch establishes the Katnook woolshed as pastoral headquarters in South East South Australia
• 1890: Riddoch founds the Coonawarra Fruit Colony, subdividing terra rossa into ten-acre blocks for fruit and vines; establishes Coonawarra as a vineyard region
• Original 1860s Katnook woolshed restored as the Katnook Estate cellar door; one of the iconic visitor sites in the Limestone Coast wine zone
• Modern Katnook winemaking operation established 1970s as part of Yunghanns family's Wingara Wines; first commercial Katnook wines released late 1970s

Wayne Stehbens has been chief winemaker at Katnook Estate since 1980, one of the longest continuous winemaker tenures at a single estate in Australian wine history. Over four decades, Stehbens has shaped every Katnook wine of the modern era, including every vintage of the flagship Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon and the Prodigy Shiraz. The continuity has produced a remarkably consistent house style: structured, classically Coonawarra Cabernet with the region's signature cedar, eucalypt, cassis, and cigar-box profile, built for long cellaring. Stehbens has weathered three ownership transitions, the broader rationalisation of the Australian wine industry through the late 1990s and 2000s, and significant shifts in international fine wine fashion, while maintaining the house style and the integrity of the flagship programme. His tenure has been recognised across the Australian wine industry, and the consistent stylistic line he has held at Katnook is regularly cited as one of the great expressions of the Coonawarra Cabernet tradition. Stehbens works alongside a small team of winemakers and vineyard managers focused on the estate's terra rossa parcels.

• Wayne Stehbens: chief winemaker at Katnook since 1980; among the longest continuous winemaker tenures at a single Australian estate
• Shaped every modern-era Katnook wine including every vintage of the flagship Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon and Prodigy Shiraz
• House style: structured, classically Coonawarra Cabernet with signature cedar, eucalypt, cassis, and cigar-box profile; built for long cellaring
• Held the stylistic line through three ownership transitions and broader industry rationalisation through late 1990s and 2000s

Katnook Estate's modern ownership history reflects the broader consolidation of the Australian premium wine industry. The Yunghanns family built Wingara Wines through the 1970s and 1980s with Katnook as the flagship Coonawarra brand alongside Riddoch and other holdings. In 2008, Spanish sparkling wine giant Freixenet acquired Wingara Wines, bringing Katnook into the Freixenet portfolio. The subsequent Freixenet-Henkell consolidation (combining Freixenet's Spanish Cava operations with the German Henkell sparkling and still wine group) brought Katnook into the broader Freixenet-Henkell global portfolio, which spans sparkling wine brands across Spain, Germany, France, and Italy, alongside the Australian still wine holdings. Despite the international ownership, Katnook has maintained operational continuity through Wayne Stehbens and the local team, with the Coonawarra terra rossa parcels and the flagship Odyssey programme preserved as the core of the brand identity. The cellar door at the original Katnook woolshed continues to operate as one of the leading Coonawarra visitor destinations.

• Yunghanns family built Wingara Wines through 1970s-1980s with Katnook as flagship Coonawarra brand alongside Riddoch and other holdings
• 2008: Freixenet acquires Wingara Wines, bringing Katnook into the Freixenet portfolio
• Subsequent Freixenet-Henkell consolidation brings Katnook into the broader Freixenet-Henkell global portfolio of sparkling and still wine brands
• Operational continuity maintained through Wayne Stehbens and local team; terra rossa parcels and Odyssey programme preserved as core brand identity

Katnook sources from terra rossa parcels in the northern Coonawarra zone, including century-old vineyard blocks alongside more recent plantings. The Coonawarra terra rossa formation, a shallow red iron-rich clay loam over hard cap rock and underlying soft limestone, is the defining terroir feature of the region: the soft soil over hard rock combination forces deep root development into the underlying limestone, producing wines with the structural backbone and mineral depth that define Coonawarra Cabernet. The northern Coonawarra zone, around the original Katnook woolshed and to the north of the modern Coonawarra township, includes some of the original Riddoch-era plantings and represents the historic heart of the region. Katnook's estate vineyards focus primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon, with Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and supporting white varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling) for the broader range. The Founder's Block Chardonnay draws from cooler Padthaway fruit, the broader Limestone Coast subregion to the north of Coonawarra, which provides longer ripening windows for premium Chardonnay.

• Terra rossa parcels in the northern Coonawarra zone, including century-old vineyard blocks alongside more recent plantings
• Coonawarra terra rossa formation: shallow red iron-rich clay loam over hard cap rock and underlying soft limestone; defines the regional terroir
• Northern Coonawarra around the original Katnook woolshed includes some of the original Riddoch-era plantings; historic heart of the region
• Estate vineyards focus on Cabernet Sauvignon; Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc; Founder's Block Chardonnay from cooler Padthaway fruit

The Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon is Katnook's flagship and one of the most prestigious wines in Coonawarra. Made only in vintages judged worthy by Wayne Stehbens, Odyssey is sourced from selected old-vine terra rossa parcels and built as a long-cellaring Coonawarra Cabernet in the regional tradition. The wine has been included in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine at the Distinguished tier in historical editions, recognising its long-term track record and standing among Australia's finest single-region Cabernets. The Prodigy Shiraz is the Shiraz counterpart at the same flagship tier, also declared only in top vintages and built from the same parcel-selection discipline. Below the flagship pair, the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon represents the broader Katnook Cabernet expression at a more accessible release tier, the Founder's Block Chardonnay provides a Padthaway-sourced cool-climate white, and the Katnook Sparkling continues the Freixenet-Henkell connection to traditional method sparkling production. Together the range expresses Coonawarra's identity from the historic Riddoch-era foundation through to the contemporary premium tier.

• Odyssey Cabernet Sauvignon: flagship; made only in top vintages; selected old-vine terra rossa parcels; built for long cellaring in the Coonawarra tradition
• Odyssey historically included in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine at the Distinguished tier; one of Coonawarra's most prestigious flagship wines
• Prodigy Shiraz: Shiraz counterpart at the flagship tier; declared only in top vintages from selected parcels
• Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Founder's Block Chardonnay (Padthaway), Katnook Sparkling round out the range