The Koerner brothers, Damon and Jono, make their wines in the Watervale area of Clare Valley in South Australia. The majority of their fruit comes from the family vineyard, Gullyview, which has been run by their parents for the past 40 years. The other fruit they source comes from top quality vineyards within a 500m radius of their winery. They believe that quality wine is made in the vineyard; by farming organically, understanding the terroir on which individual varieties are grown, and by being conscious about the extreme importance of the date on which the grapes are harvested, the Koerner brothers make fresh wines, that show the best that the grapes have to offer. Making Corsican-inspired wines in the Clare Valley, the Koerner brothers are doing something incredibly unique; their wines are generally labelled with the traditional Corsican grape names with the more familiar name labelled beneath. 

Koerner Pigato Vermentino 

These vermentino vines were planted in 2007 in the Koerner family’s Gullyview Vineyard. Hand harvested and sorted on February 23 and 23 2020 (we’re talking about the southern hemisphere here), the grapes are whisked off to the winery where about 50% of the grapes are left intact while the others are crushed. The wine is fermented naturally in an open top stainless steel fermenter where punchdowns happen twice daily. The wine spends 20 days on the skins, resulting in a peachy-tangerine coloured wine with tons of texture. The flavour is juicy with flavours of seville orange, chamomiles, and pithy grapefruit. $39.75 (plus tax + deposit)

Koerner Mammolo Sciacarello 

Mammolo aka Sciacarello is a grape that is not widely planted outside of Corsica and Tuscany. It is usually used in blends with nielluccio/sangiovese, but on its own can make lovely violet scented wines. These vines, planted in 1998, when picked on February 27 2020 and sorted in the vineyard. The grapes were destemmed and then fermented in open top steel fermenters. The grapes spent two weeks on their skins. The wine was then aged in ceramic amphora for 3 months followed by another 7 months in stainless steel. The wine is unfiltered and unfined and shows super vibrant notes of ripe red pomegranate, violet, black pepper, and mint. $49.59 (plus tax + deposit)

Koerner Nielluccio Sangiovese 

Tuscany’s most famous grape also makes wonderful wines in Corsica and the Clare Valley in Australia too! Planted in 1998 on Terra Rossa soils, this nielluccio/sangiovese is handled gently in the vineyard and allowed to hang on the vine a little longer than the Mammolo, allowing the grapes and tannins to ripen perfectly. The grapes are destemmed and punched down twice daily. It is aged in a combination of amphora and stainless steel. It has dusty, firm tannins, brilliant red cherry flavours, leather, and sage. $49.59 (plus tax + deposit)