Koomilya

Koomilya is a unique brand developed by highly acclaimed winemaker Stephen Pannell. The name comes from an early childhood adventure where Steve discovered an old bell from a ship that traveled between South Australia and Western Australia called the SS Koomilya. Koomilya means ‘Woman’ in Port Lincoln Aboriginal dialect. This resonates with Steve given his love affair with the idea of ‘Mother Earth’; to grow something from the ground up and turn it into something amazing. Grateful to the land and it’s gifts, recognising the privilege of calling it home, he founded Koomilya in pursuit of ensuring each and every wine has a sense of place while connecting to it’s birth-land.

Deep in McLaren Vale hides an unspoiled 80 acre property with a geology dating more than 520 million yrs. 30acres under vine. First planted in the late 1800s by the Hardy family, it is considered to be the epicenter of McLaren Vale. It is in the Blewitt Springs sub-region, with more sand in the soil than other McLaren Vale sites. The vines in the Koomilya vineyard are now 70+ years old. Due to these attributes, the vineyard produces an array of highest quality fruit.

From the moment he discovered the vineyard, Steve felt there was something special about this place. This was proven to be correct when Steve produced his first Jimmy Watson Trophy winning wine, the Eileen Hardy Shiraz. Steve has recently purchased the vineyards after 2 decades of pursuing the owners. Steve is now producing amazing single vineyard wines under the Koomilya label, from this ancient 30 acre block.  Therefore it is no surprise to be beguiled by the quality of the wines such as the Koomilya DC Shiraz.

Accolades & Awards

97 points – James Halliday