Right at the heart of Coonawarra are the Rouge Homme Vineyards, established in 1908 when the Redman family purchased part of John Riddoch's Penola Fruit Colony. Regular seasons of cold, wet winters and mild to warm, dry summers encourage a slow ripening of grapes, allowing excellent development of sugar levels and flavour, with the retention of good acidity. To accomodate the cold winters and springs, the vines at Rouge Homme are trained over high trellises, with overhead mist sprinklers to protect them from frosts during spring. Rouge Homme is treated to an extended maturation in a selection of seasoned and new, French and American oak barrels.