IT may be Coonawarra's new kid on the block, but the Raidis Estate family winery is fast gaining a loyal following; and a swag of awards.
Steven Raidis and fiancée Emma Graney run the winery along with Steven's parents Chris and Fran.
The family has lived and worked at Coonawarra for more than 40 years.
Steven, 29, had always wanted to create his own wine label. After a couple of years playing football with the Glenelg Football Club in Adelaide, he returned to his hometown and began to give shape to his dreams.
He bought land on the southern tip of Coonawarra and significantly expanded his father's vineyard by planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc; they are all currently in production; as well as Merlot and Shiraz.
The Raidis' created their first wine in 2006 but it was not until Steven established the Raidis Estate Cellar Door in 2009 that the label came to prominence.
In a marketing coup of sorts, the cellar door was officially opened in November that year by Prime Minister Julia Gillard who was Deputy Prime Minister at the time. It is now a popular venue, hosting a number of events year-round.
Steven's story is similar to his father's. As a young man, Chris was working in the vineyards of Coonawarra, holding on to his dream of one day planting his own vines and producing premium table wines.
Chris' family had left rural Greece for South Australia when he was three years old.
Chris and Fran first opened their Penola Strawberry Farm and Greek Charcoal Grill; a local favourite; but their goal of creating their own vineyard remained unfulfilled.
Twenty years ago, coaxed by local vignerons, Chris and Fran replaced the strawberries in the coveted Terra Rossa soil with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that are now used in the Raidis Estate's Billy Cabernet Sauvignon. At the time, all the grapes produced were sold as the family had not yet started to make wine.
Today, Raidis Estate produces four premium table wines; 'The Kelpie' Sauvignon Blanc, 'Cheeky Goat' Pinot Gris, 'The Kid' Riesling and 'Billy' Cabernet Sauvignon; across two vineyards including the 3.2-hectare 'House Block' and 14ha 'Southern Block', both in Coonawarra.
This year, the team crushed 24 tonnes of winegrapes; a yield smaller than average; but Steven says grapes not of the best quality for wine will not make it to this stage.
"This year was very tough; we didn't pick any red grapes and dropped a lot of white grapes," he said.
"We hand-picked everything because it was the only way to get the best fruit for our wines.
The winery is now in its fifth year with Steven and Emma at the helm.
"In this industry, you can make great wine but if nobody knows about it, it's very hard to survive," Steven said.
"We've spent a lot of time on the road, taking our wine to people and telling them that we think we've got a good product at a good price that's worth trying. So far, it's an approach that's working.