Koerner
Growing up amidst the Clare Valley's vines, Damon Koerner was taken with the history of the region. When the time came for him to start his own label which he did with brother Jono in 2014, he started a journey to reimagine his home for a new generation, crafting vibrant modern wines that push the region forward in a meaningful way.
Respect for tradition meets a thirst for innovation under the Koerner label, resulting in bright, food-friendly wines that both complex and compelling to drink and built for our climate. With excellent organically-focused farming and contemporary hands-off winemaking, using a wide array of different vessels such as clay amphora of fermentation and ageing, these wines are fresh, flavoursome and full of character.
Working with his established family vineyard known as Gullyview and other neighbouring sites, Damon plays with a mix of classic Clare Valley varieties such as Riesling, Cabernet and Malbec, as well as a suite of alternate varieties including Carignan, Sciacarello and Australia's best Vermentinos, that show a different side of this iconic Australian wine region.
Damon is showcasing the Clare Valley's diversity and new potential, earning acclaim as one of the most talented young winemakers in Australia. Koerner is a label that exemplifies the changing face of Australian wine and should be on your hit list if you're yet to taste these stellar South Australian offerings.
"The Koerner epoch in Clare is going to go down as a significant one, showcasing the ‘other’ of Clare in a fine wine paradigm and a breathing of additional character into the region, no doubt. Kudos to the fellas."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
"The pair have made a good dent in modernising the ‘classic’ Clare Valley style, specialising in early picked, minimal-intervention wines and utilising terracotta and ceramic fermenters. Koerner wines are mostly made from the family vineyard, Gullyview, with some fruit sourced from neighbouring vineyards, Parish and Vivian. A major point of difference from other Clare Valley wineries is the use of synonyms for well-known varieties, as well as adopting Australian name usage, turning the world upside-down with left-field winemaking practices."
- James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)
