Barossa-raised winemaker James Kalleske has been in the industry for two decades. He has helmed wineries in Margaret River; learned producer secrets in Champagne, Sancerre, and Yecla; and developed a range of award-winning new-latitude wines in Bali.
ABOUT JAMES
James grew up amidst the vines of his family vineyard in the Barossa Valley. As a boy, he loved spending time in nature. School holidays meant solo expeditions into the countryside, tending to his mother’s rose garden, and breaking open hollyhock seed pods to scatter into the soil. With a knack for botany and a surname synonymous with winemaking in the Barossa, his career path seemed set.
A serendipitous family tie led James to Western Australia. Drawn in by the natural beauty, the native forests, and an experimental new wine industry still in its fledgling years, James set up home in Margaret River.
Here, under the old oak tree at Rockfield Estate, he made his first gold-medal-winning wine — a Sauvignon Blanc Semillon. Over eight memorable Margs vintages, he had the chance to work alongside greats like Virginia Willcock (at Vasse Felix), Vanya Cullen (at Cullen Wines), and Bob Cartwright (of Leeuwin Estate fame).
When he left to take up a position with Hatten Wines in Bali, he brought with him a new appreciation for the region’s lighter, more elegant wine styles. After 17 years away from South Australia, JKW represents both a reunion and the realization of a lifelong dream: to make his own wines in his own way.