Raising the bar

When Sarah joined Wynns Coonawarra Estate in 1998, one of Australia’s greatest winemaking partnerships was born. Sarah has worked alongside award-winning winemaker Sue Hodder for over two decades, continuously raising the bar for South Australia’s Coonawarra wine region. Together they are custodians of this historic winery – its vineyards first planted in the late 1800s – while boldly pushing the boundaries of style.

In 2016, Sarah and Sue were jointly named the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology Winemakers of the Year, thanks to their efforts in developing Cabernet Sauvignon for the future. More recently, Sarah was a finalist in the 2019 Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year awards.

Synonymous with Coonawarra, Wynns’ Cabernet Sauvignon wines set the benchmark in this world-renowned region. And Sarah is a major part of the story.

“Cabernet Sauvignon, when it’s in an amazing region and grown on great soil the way it is here, is just constantly compelling,” she says.

Coonawarra is renowned for its red terra rossa soil, ideal for growing high-quality grapes, and after more than 20 years here, Sarah can’t imagine being anywhere else.

“It is the soil, it’s the climate, but it’s also the people that keeps you in a place like this,” she says. “It’s a remote region, so the people who are here are here because they love it.”

Love of her craft and of Wynns Cabernet is what’s kept Sarah in one place for so long, and what keeps her inspired as she helps to lead the winery – and Australian wine – into the future.

 “With the changes we have in climate, it’s important for us to think very hard about how we're going to continue to make top-class Cabernet Sauvignon for another two decades,” she says.