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Cup back on track

What a comeback. The 36° South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup brushed aside two years of COVID cancellations to host a full blown celebration at the Penola Racecourse with the horses and punters back on track and one of the social events of the year – the Coonawarra Vignerons Marquee – again the hottest ticket in town.

Coonawarra Vignerons events and marketing officer Heidi Guyett could not have been more thrilled and relieved once the final race was run and won and the last drop of Coonawarra cabernet had been drank.

“It was a sensational day,” Mrs Guyett said. “We were really lucky with the weather and we had such a great response with 600 in the marquee.

“We were just relieved to have it back after waiting two years and we have had nothing but fabulous feedback.”

The Coonawarra Imperial Auction was again a highlight, with online bidders welcomed to be part of the auction for the first time since its inception in 2016.

Eight six-litre imperials went under the hammer with the St Hugo 1991 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon topping the field with a price tag of $5500 and every imperial topped the $1000 mark with no selling price lower than $1200.

Imperials from Balnaves, Banks Thargo, Bundalong Coonawarra, DiGiorgio Family Wines, Raidis Estate, Yalumba and Wynns Coonawarra Estate all secured good prices as part of the day’s fundraising efforts.

Aside from the auction there was action aplenty in the marquee with emcee Jules Schiller keeping everyone entertained.

“Jules (Schiller) worked in well with the auctioneer and he kept the whole day flowing with a bit of flair and humour,” Mrs Guyett said.

Schiller was secured for the gig through regular visitor, and fellow entertainer, Merrick Watts.

The marquee’s Super Sweep also proved popular with the winner taking home $3000 courtesy of drawing 36° South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup 2023 winner Wild Willy.

“It was a prize that certainly made it a worthwhile investment in the sweep,” Mrs Guyett said.

As always, the marquee was also a sea of style and fashion with Kellie Nobes, of Kellie Nobes Styling, and Ashlee Kalantarian, of A ÉL ESTE Designs, judging the high quality field, that was vying for $800 worth of prizes.

Tilly Dohnt took home the Best Dressed Female; Scott McWilliams, the Best Dressed Male, René Le Roux won Best Millinery, while the People’s Choice winner was Emly Mae.

“It really was just nice to see it all come together,” Mrs Guyett said. “Everyone was having fun, people had dressed up, there was colour and there was the chance to enjoy Coonawarra wines.”

Plenty of visitors from Melbourne and Sydney purchased race day packages which, among other perks, gave them access to more than 100 wines that they could enjoy with winemakers and winery staff.

“It is such a good day of networking,” Mrs Guyett said. “Just a fabulous day out for those that enjoy dressing up and going out – it’s a really unique event in the region.”

FASHION FAVOURITES: (Below) Fashions in the Marquee judge Ashlee Kalantarian, of A ÉL ESTE Designs; Best Millinery winner René Le Roux; People’s Choice winner Emly Mae; Best Dressed Male winner Scott McWilliams; Best Dressed Female winner Tilly Dohnt & Fashions in the Marquee judge Kellie Nobes, from Kellie Nobes Styling.

PHOTOS (OPP. PAGE)

1. Winning connections of the 36° South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup 2023 winner Wild Willy, the winning trainer & jockey and sponsors 2. The coveted silverware - the 36° South Coonawarra Vignerons Cup 3. The top priced St Hugo 1991 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon imperial 4. Birthday boy George Kidman 5. Doug Balnaves adds his signature to the purchased Balnaves of Coonawarra imperial 6. Assistant winemaker Bryan Tonkin with the diGiorgio Family Wines imperial 7. Kirsty Balnaves with Doug Balnaves and their ready to be auctioned imperial 8. Emma Raidis with the Raidis Estate imperial 9. Jon Kidman & the Banks Thargo imperial 10. Coonawarra Vignerons marquee emcee Jules Schiller 11. Inside the Coonawarra Vignerons marquee