“My favourite days in the old vines are sunny autumn days in the school holidays,” says Kym Kalleske. “The kids are with my parents and wife and I to hand pick the gnarly ancestor vines. There is chatter and laughter in the air, the squeaking of snips, soft thuds as rich, sweet bunches of grapes drop into buckets. The dogs lounge in the shade of the majestic vines, occasionally getting up for a pat or to chase something rustling along the fence line. We wash hands from a small tap on the trailer, dogs lapping, and eat on upturned buckets. There’s always homemade bread, often with curried egg made from our chook’s eggs, plus Mum’s famous German beer cake and usually an ANZAC biscuit or three. On days like this, I can’t help but feel like the richest man on earth. Three generations working together using our hands and connecting with nature, what a gift.”
The Kalleske story is one of both significant history and the tireless pursuit of improvement. The property in Moppa, a subdistrict of Greenock, was first established by Johann Georg and Johanne Dorothea Kalleske in 1853. The farm has had many mixed uses, from grazing, cropping and milling to orchards and vineyards. The oldest vines on the property were planted in 1875, consisting of 1.2 hectares of shiraz vines, with the rest of the grape-growing operation now extending over 50 hectares and 36 blocks of vines of varying ages.
“Our vineyard is the most north-western in the Barossa. We sit at 300–350 metres, whereas most of the Barossa Valley is at 150–250 metres. Our vines are also planted amongst rolling hills and gullies. This combination of elevation and gully breezes provides a cooler macroclimate and a longer hang time, with our grapes typically some of the last to be picked. Our red-brown soils are also generally shallower than most of the Barossa, which can have deeper, richer soils. So, our vines are lower vigour, resulting in lower yields and small, concentrated berries.”
The estate is very much a family affair, with John and Lorraine (four-time national grape-picking champion) Kalleske joined by their three sons, Troy, Tony and Kym, in the operation. Troy is the winemaker, Tony mainly looks after sales and business, while Kym Kalleske takes the reins in the vineyard along with the other mixed farming operations – including broadacre crops and running livestock – having almost 30 years’ experience on the land.
Along with the typical biodynamic preparations, a process of fine-tuning is a constant feature of Kalleske’s methods, from natural sprays and worm teas to manage to disease and pest pressure to tweaking green manures and a continually evolving compost recipe. “Our soil has a high level of organic matter and is bustling with microflora and earthworms, allowing it to better capture rainfall and make nutrients more available to the vine. We make our own fertiliser and raise all our new vines from cuttings for new plantings. Self-sufficiency is the pinnacle of sustainability, and many processes often outsourced by other vignerons, we do ourselves.”
While Kalleske takes great pride across the whole property, from the fledgling to the ancient vines, it is the Johann Georg block that he describes as the “epitome” of their work. “It was planted by first generation Kalleskes of Prussia, and it has been lovingly tended to ever since,” he says. “Dry grown, gnarly, incredible specimens of vines. Low yield, and they continually and consistently produce benchmark fruit.”
“To have Troy making national and internationally recognised single-vineyard wine from this block is a dream come true for any vigneron. This block is our family, and we are the custodians put here to pass it to the next generation.”
That quality is naturally improved by their meticulous regenerative farming, and significant vine age adds its own magic, but Kalleske notes that their site is also one of rare quality. “Our vineyard is the most north-western in the Barossa,” he says. “We sit at 300–350 metres, whereas most of the Barossa Valley is at 150–250 metres. Our vines are also planted amongst rolling hills and gullies. This combination of elevation and gully breezes provides a cooler macroclimate and a longer hang time, with our grapes typically some of the last to be picked. Our red-brown soils are also generally shallower than most of the Barossa, which can have deeper, richer soils. So, our vines are lower vigour, resulting in lower yields and small, concentrated berries.”
That pedigree, coupled with what was a revolutionary approach to farming in 1990s Barossa, saw the quality of Kalleske fruit become almost mythical, with the Johann Georg vineyard a regular contributor to Penfolds Grange. “That was an honour and a privilege at the time, but now to have Troy making national and internationally recognised single-vineyard wine from this block is a dream come true for any vigneron. This block IS our family, and we are the custodians put here to pass it to the next generation.”
And while the stream of international accolades that have been awarded the family wines is a source of significant pride, Kalleske maintains that the bigger picture has always been leaving the property better than it was when they started. “As a seventh-generation farmer, to me it is all about longevity – sustainability and a long-term approach to viticulture are at the forefront of what we do,” he says.
“We plant native areas to minimise erosion, take out contour banks which are no longer needed, because the soil is in better condition to absorb rather than repel water during downfalls, keep waterways running effectively, and preserve the history of our family in the old stone buildings built by my Grandfather and his predecessors. We have one of the oldest certified organic and biodynamic properties in the region, and I am firmly rooted in the belief that I am creating a future home and lifestyle for our children, grandchildren, and the next seven generations and beyond.”
Please sign in or create account as candidate to bookmark this job
Please sign in or create account to save this search
Please sign in or create account as candidate to create a resume
