Coonawarra wineries buoyed by tourism, online sales amid COVID-19 pandemic as more South Australians explore their own backyard
About 60 per cent of the Coonawarra’s visitors usually travel from Victoria but amid the border lockout, the region’s wineries are being boosted by a surge in SA tourists and online sales.
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South Australian tourists exploring the Coonawarra for the first time – or stocking up on wine instead of eating out – are helping the region weather the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coonawarra Vignerons president Pete Balnaves, of Balnaves of Coonawarra, said despite the difficulties imposed by the coronavirus, tourism and online sales were now helping keep local businesses profitable.
“If you have an online presence with social media and a platform where you sell wine, it’s been a fantastic year,” Mr Balnaves said.
At Balnaves, online sales were up 16 per cent. About 60 per cent of the region’s visitors usually travel from Victoria – a market that’s all but disappeared amid the border closure.
“However, we’ve seen a lot of people coming from Adelaide down here who have never been here before or haven’t been here for a long time,” he said.
“We need to keep getting people coming into the region and becoming an ambassador and engaging in buying wine.”
Mr Balnaves said winemakers had been waiting for buyers to reach saturation point – when they run out of space in their cellars to store their favourite drops – but that was yet to happen.
“This year people are choosing to spend a lot of money on wine and having a nice meal and drinking their wine at home,” he said.
A number of local wineries have recently upgraded their cellar doors or accommodation offerings, helping drive more people to the area, who stayed longer.
Bellwether Wines part owner Sue Bell said online and cellar door sales were up about 30-40 per cent, while overall sales were down due to fewer people eating out during the pandemic.
After being closed during the height of COVID-19, her accommodation and on-site dinners were now booked out every weekend.
The business offers camping and glamping, and over the last 12 years, has been developing the site in stages, including adding its bell tents, camp kitchen and renovating a historic shearing shed.
“Most people are from Adelaide but we’re starting to see a couple of people from Queensland and NSW. The majority of people say they’ve never been to the Coonawarra before,” she said.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to be educated about their home, their country. It’s incredible that people from Adelaide in their 30s and 40s that have travelled extensively through Europe and Asia haven’t been to the Limestone Coast or Coonawarra.”
Ms Bell said her business was now busier than it would normally be, despite Victorian travellers being excluded by SA’s border controls.
“I would describe it as one of the most scary but exciting times I’ve been in business,” she said.
Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations is this month inspiring more wine-lovers to head to the state’s South-East, with dozens of events planned to celebrate the drops the region is best-known for.
Visit coonawarra.org/event/coonawarra-cabernet-celebrations/
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