Behind the label
Discover the story and sentiment that make each one of our wine labels uniquely special. Learn how each label serves as a window to our winemaking philosophy, our family’s history, and our commitment to sustainability.
THE ANGEL’S SHARE
The first time I heard this term, it resonated deeply with me. I imagined all the angels in heaven jubilantly overindulging. Beyond that delightful imagery, I found it a profoundly beautiful idea.
This notion that wine, in all its complexity and richness, is a divine gift truly captivated me. It’s one reason why we’ve committed to organic practices in our vineyards.
The angel is not just a logo; it’s a symbol that permeates our brand. Alongside it, you’ll find recurrent themes of family and a deep-rooted connection to the land where my family has lived for over a century.”
Koonara’s Angels
AMBRIEL’S GIFT
We named our Family Reserve Ambriel’s Gift Cabernet after Ambriel, the angel of communication and protection. Liquid“gift of the Gab”.
For all the people born in May, Ambriel is also the sun sign of Gemini.
EZRA’S GIFT
Crafted in tribute to Ezra, the angel of creativity and self-expression, our Family Reserve Shiraz aims to unlock your hidden talents. Whether you’re a writer or simply a wine lover, let this bottle be your muse.
Fans of the TV series Supernatural might recognize the name—Ezra is portrayed by Gordon Michael Woolvett!
ANGEL’S PEAK
Coonawarra is almost flat – although it does have an almost imperceptible rise and this is typically where the famous terra rossa can be found.
Our Angel Peak Shiraz is a tongue-in-cheek reference to our seemingly flat land.
ANGEL’S FOOTPRINTS
Our Sauvignon Blanc is named Angel’s Footprints“Friends are angels that lift you up when your wings have forgotten how to fly. Many people walk through your life, but true friends leave footprints in your heart.”
I read this quote and thought it was a great tribute to friends, and Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine to share with mates.
It’s also a wine that requires a very soft press, as gentle as an angel’s feet.
THE GUARDIAN ANGEL
The Guardian Angel Sparkling Pinot Chardonnay is your protective guide through the world of wine, offering a sense of comfort and joy in every bottle.
Crafted in our Mount Gambier vineyards, known as the coolest wine region in mainland Australia, this exceptional blend has been gracing us since its first vintage in 2008. With the area’s unique climate, it’s perfect for Chardonnay.
Let our Guardian Angel be your trusted companion for celebrations, gatherings, or those moments when you could use a little heavenly intervention.
ANGELS WINGS
“We are each of us angels with only one wine. And we can only fly by embracing each other.”” Luciano de Crescenzo, Italian writer.
This was the inspiration for our new Angels wings blend, as the perfect blend is all about balance.
One wine – The Cabernet Sauvignon – has mint and blueberry notes, balancing the other, The Shiraz, with its soft mulberry, dark chocolate and spice, just like the two wings of an angel.
The Wings featured on this label I painted and have used on all three of our Red wine labels.
A tribute to our family
LUCY & ALICE
We named our Pinot Gris after our two beautiful daughters, Lucy & Alice.
Our house is in the middle of our Coonawarra vineyards, which is why we only practice organic viticulture. Pride of place and respect for our delicate ecosystem are very important to us.
FLOWER’S FOR LUCY
We named our Moscato Flowers for Lucy after our eldest daughter, born in 2009.
Before the girls started school, they would stroll into the Cellar Door to say hello and almost always be holding flowers picked along the way.
Alice’s flowers would proudly go to Nicole, while Lucy’s – with her arm outstretched proudly – went to me.“These are for you, Dad,” she’d say.
One day (when she is old enough) – the burst of floral flavours in this Moscato will be my flowers to her.
A SONG FOR ALICE
In 2015, we released our new Riesling, A Song for Alice. Alice (born in 2010) pointed out Lucy had her own wine, and it was only fair she had her name on a wine label too. Good point.
Alice loves to sing songs she has made up. They are beautiful in their purity and make Nicole and I smile. When she is old enough, this will be our song to her.
The wings thatfeature on this label, I painted and we often use the Artwork at events to brighten up the space.
THE BIG GUNS
The Big Guns Shiraz is a tribute to my father, Trevor Reschke, who was in the Australian national team for clay target shooting and the state team over 20 times.
More often than not, you would find him shooting crows in our Coonawarra vineyard just before vintage. To this day, crows still avoid it.
Here’s to you Trev.
THE HEAD HONCHO
The Head Honcho was created from our 10-acre single Cabernet vineyard in Coonawarra.
I named the Head Honcho after our winemaker, Peter Douglas, although he would probably cringe if he knew. We’ll see.
Head winemaker at Wynns in Coonawarra for 15 years, he has spent time working in prestigious wineries in France and Italy. He is at the top of his game, and we are very lucky to have him.
EMILY MAY
Our Emily May Rosé was named after my Gran – Emiline May Reschke. She lived on our property in Coonawarra until she was 99.
She was an accomplished dressmaker, designer, teacher, bridge and scrabble guru, and professional floral artist.
Here’s to you Gran.
PETE SAID NO
Our Winemaker, Peter Douglas, wouldn’t let us put the top 3 barrels of Pinot Noir into our Razortooth Pinot.
He said it had to be separated, as it was just too good. The result, a new Premium Pinot Noir wine was born. We couldn’t resist putting Pete Said no on the label.
Labels of the land
THE GOLDEN ORB
In our Coonawarra vineyards lives the Golden Orb spider, and our Golden Orb Sparking Shiraz is a tribute to this cool little guy.
You can see the sun shining on their golden webs at sunset and dew hanging heavy on their fine threads in the morning.
During the summer, they help us with pest control and catch vineyard pests such as flies, beetles, locusts, wood moths and cicadas.
This is one reason why we haven’t used pesticides in the vineyard for over ten years.
WANDERLUST
Coonawarra is halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide.
We love the people who make the journey to come and visit our cellar door; they have Wanderlust. They are the daring explorers, the lovers of life with tales of adventures and experiences from their many trips.
This wine’s for you, intrepid travellers…
CAPE BANKS
We named our Cape Banks Pinot Noir and Cape Banks Chardonnay after the striking lighthouse, which is about a 30-minute drive from our vineyards in Mount Gambier.
Est. in 1883, the Cape Banks Lighthouse is a 15-metre orange monument near Carpenter Rocks on South Australia’s rugged South East coastline.
The lighthouse’s powerful lamps shine shafts of warning light across the extremely wild Southern Ocean. Hidden below is a treacherous reef.
It’s also where one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history took place in 1859. The SS Admella passenger steamship struck a reef about 1km away from shore. The passengers clung to the wreck for over a week as they watched one rescue attempt after another fail. 89 lives were lost, mostly due to cold and exposure.
RAZORTOOTH
The cool climate and rocky mineral soils of Mt Gambier are perfect for growing Pinot Noir. The sharp flint-like rocks in the soil are so razor sharp we have been known to blow a tractor tyre or two during harvest.
DASIES & DANDELIONS
The name of this Chardonnay is a nod to the eco practices we undertake here in the vineyard and just how important these so-called weeds ‘Daisies and Dandelions” are to our valuable ecosystem. Pretty clever huh?