explore our story

IN COONAWARRA SINCE 1906

In 1906, my great-grandfather Henry Albert and his wife Alice Jane Reschke bought a property to raise cattle. They named it ‘Koonara’, after the new name for the area. At the time, the region was known as the ‘Penola Fruit Blocks’ or‘ Penola Fruit Colony’, but many were keen to make the new name ‘Coonawarra’ stick.

Since 1988, our vineyards and wine have been our passion, and today, Nicole and the girls live in the family homestead surrounded by our vineyards. For this reason (and many others), we are creating a sustainable eco-system in our vineyards.

Dive into our history here.

Family photo of Henry and Alice Reschke
Dandelions in the vineyard row early spring.

ORGANIC VITICULTURE

  • We’re certified to Australian Organic Standards in our Coonawarra vineyards.
  • No pesticides have been used in our Coonawarra vineyards for over 15 years.
  • Only 2 organic sprays a year.
    We create an organic ecosystem in our vineyard,  averaging only two sprays per year, primarily using a custom mineral mix to keep nutrients balanced.
  • We let nature take care of nasty bugs.
    We grow selected weeds to attract ‘good bugs’ that eat our ‘bad bugs’, so we do not need pesticides.
  • Weeds are our friends.
    We let selected weeds grow long and their roots deep, which aerate the soil and fill it with organic material. This holds water and natural nutrients, which help to produce healthy vines.

NONE OF THE BAD STUFF

  • No oak substitutes (no chips, planks, dominos, etc.) are used to make our wines. Unlike 99% of Australian wine, we only use 100% French oak barrels to age our red wines. This creates beautiful vanilla hints, with softness from the micro-oxygenation binding tannins together (similar to when you decant a wine). It means our wines won’t be the cheapest (each barrel costing upwards of $1,800 a barrel), but the flavours are far superior, so it’s a no-brainer.
  • No residual sugar in any of our reds and whites. No residual sugar in any of our reds and below 3g/L of sugar in our whites. They still taste sweet, showing perfect balance in the vineyard. **The exception to this is in our Moscato, and just a touch in our sparkling white & red.
A group of people walking alongside the famous Terra Rossa cutting in Coonawarra
two fingers holding a grape that's about the size of a pea.

ABOUT OUR PURSUIT OF PERFECTION

  • French Oak: All our reds are aged in 100% fine-grain French Oak Hogsheads barrels. These are the most expensive barrels, averaging $1,800 a barrel, but the flavours they create are far superior.
  • Low yields, small grapes and big flavour. We have lower yields than most. It’s not fewer grapes, just smaller grapes. Smaller grapes mean more skin per litre, and because the colour and flavour come from the skins, it means – you guessed it – more colour & flavour. Our pea-size grapes are pocket rockets.

TALENTED PEOPLE

  • The former Wynns Coonawarra winemaker Peter Douglas, makes our wine. We work with the very best people. Former Wynns winemaker for 15 years Peter Douglas is our winemaker, one of the most respected winemakers and wine judges.

Discover our team.

Peter Douglas our Winemaker
Dru sitting on the soil profile cutting with a glass and a bottle of red wine

GREAT DIRT

  • Coonawarra: Famous terra rossa soil.
    All our Coonawarra vines are planted on the famous red terra rossa soil located on our property – which has been in my family for over 100 years.
  • Mt Gambier: The coolest region in mainland Australia.
    Our whites and Pinot Noir grapes are grown in Mt Gambier, even cooler than Malborough in NZ. The long growing period allows the grapes to develop abundant flavours without losing their crisp freshness.