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RYMILL COONAWARRA - The Answer Lies in the Soil
By Andrew Jones
Careful note should be made of owner Peter Rymill's middle name 'Riddoch'. It comes from his great grandfather, John Riddoch, who is best-known as the Father of the
Coonawarra region in South Australia.
Riddoch, initially a humble brickmaker, was born in Scotland in 1827 and sailed to Australia in 1850 on an assisted passage. In 1852 he struck gold at Ovens Valley,
discovering a nugget that he sold for US$1450. This would have been enough to buy around 10 small houses, but instead he immediately invested the money in a bullock
wagon and the construction of a supply store at Ballarat. From these premises he could provide any materials the goldminers wanted, from simple shovels to oil lamps or
even woollen clothing. Next, he opened a second store at Geelong and continued to increase his profits by selling essential provisions within walking distance of the
miners' claims. He worked in partnership with his brother, Alexander, and they proved their considerable business acumen by following the gold strikes; as one goldfield
became exhausted so they closed their local store and re-opened at the location of the next one.
Fortunately the unearthing of gold continued long enough to make John Riddoch an
extremely wealthy man, allowing him to retire from the scene and find a new home in neighbouring South Australia. Subsequently he acquired nearly 200,000 acres of land
near Penola, including an area the local aborigines called Coonawarra, meaning wild honeysuckle.
Meantime another Scot, called William Wilson, entered our story. As a young man
Wilson had served as a gardener on a couple of large estates in Scotland, where in the cold climate he had experienced problems growing single vines against walls or under
glass. Disappointed by the lack of opportunities in his homeland, he signed up with the Black Watch regiment, and served with them in the Mediterranean, where he spent
some considerable time in the Greek Isles. There, in the warm climate, he saw vines growing abundantly and was fascinated by their albarello pruning, which produced
short, stubby plants with bunches close to the ground. In total Wilson served for 6 years and by then had grown so accustomed to high temperatures that he decided to
emigrate, hoping that Australia might provide him with a plot of land of his own where he could grow grapes in healthy conditions.
Coincidentally, he too struck gold in Victoria, but gained the lesser sum of US $435. He was then quite content to settle down and purchase a home of his own.
Apparently he chose Penola simply because it was one of the few developed towns in South Australia at the time. There he purchased a one acre plot in Petticoat Lane and
built a cottage, (which still survives), and planted flowers and vines in his garden. Its beauty and the abundance of his vines became a wonderful sight and a major
newspaper even reported its magnificence. It also came to the attention of the millionaire John Riddoch, known locally as the Squire of Penola, who called on the
humble gardener William Wilson and asked his advice for a scheme to plant extensive vineyards in the locality. Wilson pointed out the terra rossa soil with its limestone
base and advised Riddoch to follow the strip that ran throughout his land. In 1890 Riddoch launched a remarkable scheme, offering to sell humble folks blocks of land for
vines, by granting them mortgages at 5% and guaranteeing to purchase all their grapes. He also constructed a large cellar to make the wine. Eventually 26 families -
known as blockers - acquired plots between 10 and 80 acres in size.
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Coonawarra's famous terra rossa soil
Initially the young vines yielded unpredictable vintages but John Riddoch lived just long enough to see the prolific 1901 vintage virtually fill his cellar for the first time. Sadly,
following Riddoch's death later that year, the blocker scheme collapsed, but Coonawarra had taken its first steps to wine fame.
Today Rymill Coonawarra has established itself as one of the top players amongst the independently-owned wineries there. Peter Riddoch Rymill, an equestrian star who
has captained the Australian show-jumping team, first purchased vineyards in the region some 30 years ago, but it wasn't until 1990 that he constructed his spacious
and practical winery. Nowadays it comes under the day-to-day command of general manager and head winemaker, John Innes, and is achieving serious results with some
superb wines, with good or great vintages year after year.
Oddly, Rymill Coonawarra produces an outstanding Sauvignon Blanc, which many
might not expect from a region that excels with Cabernet. It is a charming wine that offers tropical fruit flavors and passion fruit characteristics. Perhaps the winery's most
ingenious wine is one called Rymill MC˛, a name borrowed from Albert Einstein. John Innes keeps a completely straight face as he tells everyone that Einstein selected the
identification for their wine, which is simply Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc added. The 40% Merlot content helps to make this a rich, flavorsome
and supple red that drinks well from an early age. But it is with Cabernet Sauvignon that Rymill reaches its pinnacle; the wine balances fruit characteristics with structure
to perfection. The Rymill team will only use the ripest, finest fruit, which after fermentation is aged in medium-toasted French oak, part new and part used. It can be
enjoyed from around 3 years of age but will improve for 10 or more.
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Einstein's wine
The sporting prowess of Peter Riddoch Rymill and his wife Judy, herself a previous
champion three day event competitor, explains the classic bronze statue of 'Fighting Horses Rampant', which stands immediately in front of the Rymill winery at
Coonawarra in South Australia. The symbol has been adopted as the winery's logo and appears on its wine labels. It is a logo that is well worth following as this 1990
built winery is producing a superb range of wines which are finding increasing favor in the international markets.
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Last updated on April 30, 2008