Koerner

Brothers Jono and Damon Koerner spent their idyllic childhood playing in their parents’ vineyards in Watervale, Clare Valley, in the 1970s. Little did they know their parents grew some of the most enviable fruit for the Clare Valley’s winemakers, sparking the brothers’ passion for viticulture and winemaking and leading them to establish their own project in 2014 with their parents’ fruit.

Damon and his wife, Maddy, now lead Koerner as they look after their three vineyards in the Adelaide Hills and Clare. In the Hills, Koerner’s Home Block in Lenswood and Hazeldene Vineyard, where they grow Chardonnay, Savagnin, Gamay, and Sangiovese. In Clare, they grow fruit within a 750-meter radius, including the Vivian Vineyard, where the focus is on Riesling, Vermentino, Sciacarello, Sangiovese, and Cabernet. They bring in all the fruit early, handling each parcel individually. Minimal intervention is employed in the cellar so each vineyard shapes the final wine. Simply put, Damon and Maddy aim to produce wines that speak of their home and are light, vibrant, textured, and downright delicious.