Coola

Coola Wines is a partnership between the Ellis family of Mount Gambier and the Altschwager + Kenneally winemaking company. The project was created to showcase wines from the cooler sub-regions of South Australia, particularly Mount Gambier and McLaren Vale. The Ellis family has farmed the historic Coola Station property west of Mount Gambier for generations and began viticulture there in the late 1990s. The Coola name is therefore closely connected to the Ellis family's land and agricultural history in the region.

Mount Gambier is one of South Australia's coolest wine-growing areas. Its position close to the Southern Ocean creates a cool maritime climate, with strong ocean influence and a long, relatively cool growing season. Mount Gambier is the coldest wine region in South Australia, and the conditions are particularly well-suited to cool-climate wine styles.

The wider Mount Gambier area is characterized by volcanic and limestone landscapes, and the Ellis vineyards are associated with the region's distinctive flint-rich soils. The combination of cool climate and these mineral, rocky soils is central to the identity of Coola wines.

The Ellis family established a 120-hectare vineyard on Coola Station beginning in the late 1990s. Lou Ellis grew up on the property and was involved in the vineyard from its establishment, working in vine training, pruning, tractor operations, and harvest. Coola's wines are connected to the Ellis family's Mount Gambier vineyards, while the broader Coola project also aims to showcase cooler South Australian sub-regions such as McLaren Vale.

Three South Australian family histories meet in Coola Wines. The Ellis family has been connected with Coola Station since the 19th century and has been involved in viticulture in Mount Gambier since 1999. The Altschwager family arrived in South Australia from Bremen in 1848 and moved to the Mount Gambier area in the 19th century. The Kenneally family story in South Australia dates to Cornelius Kenneally's arrival from County Cork in 1890. Their descendants joined through the Coola wine partnership.

Gus Altschwager is the winemaking figure behind the Altschwager + Kenneally partnership. He studied Enology at the University of Adelaide, worked with Wolf Blass and in France, and spent ten years as chief Marlborough winemaker for Oyster Bay in New Zealand. Mark Kenneally is the viticultural partner, with experience at Oyster Bay and Treasury Wine Estates and a background in vineyard management. Together, they established Altschwager Kenneally in 2014 to produce small-batch wines and are the winemaking and viticultural partners behind Coola.

• Cool-climate wines from Mount Gambier and other cooler South Australian sub-regions.
• The historic Ellis family connection to Coola Station.
• Mount Gambier's maritime influence from the Southern Ocean.
• Family-owned viticulture and a relatively small-scale approach.
• Collaboration between the Ellis and Altschwager + Kenneally families.