PODCAST

S2- E04 |  Chicks Kicking Arse in the Clare Valley with Kerri Thompson & Marnie Roberts

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Kerri Thompson and Marnie Roberts are two firecrackers with an enduring love for shaking up the Clare Valley’s wine offering and going their own way. KT couldn’t have known less about making wine when her journey in the industry started all those years ago, in fact she needed a fake I.D just to do her first tastings at uni! Little did she know the fruitful career that was in store… Marnie is the winemaker, owner, creative director and business manager of ‘Matriach & Rogue’, and shockingly, does experience feeling over worked at times… She’s all about working with growers to create something exceptional and different; and she does it all while being a mum; just like her mate Kerri! Here’s KT and Marnie…

Kerri Thompson
Wine Maker + Owner
wines by KT
Meet EcoGrower Kerri Thompson
Skillogalee Estate
​Australian Wine | Kerri Thompson

Creating wines that express spirit of place and enjoyment.

I've been living and making wine in the Clare Valley district since 1998. It's safe to say that I love the region! After eight years of managing the historic Leasingham Wines in the Clare Valley, I took what I had learned and loved about winemaking and established my very own label, Wines by KT. Specialising in my first-love, Riesling, and inspired by this uniquely beautiful part of the world, I'm working to create wines that express spirit of place and enjoyment.
 
Her First Love
Riesling
Compared to other Australian wine regions, Clare Valley is small, accounting for only 21,500 tonnes of grapes each year, yet our wines can be found on restaurant wine lists – and in private cellars – around the world. Much of the acclaim is for our beloved Clare Valley Riesling and I've made a career celebrating this inspiring variety and all of its wondrous diversity. Riesling is a variety that is a true reflection of the special place that it’s grown -  a reflection of it's postcode - and it was this reason why I created my label series called 5452. Colder nights, elevated sites, and ideal slate and stone soil types all contribute to the Clare Valley’s success with this aromatic white variety. I love Riesling in all of its different shapes and sizes from across the world but am particularly drawn to the Watervale area of the Clare Valley for its relationship between fruit weight and concentration, tightly coiled tension and the power in its elegance. It should never be underestimated.

“Most of my experimentation has been based on teaching people that Riesling can be many different things.” 

Marnie Roberts
Wine Maker + Owner
Matriarch & Rouge
Marnie Roberts - Winegrapes Australia

Hi I’m Marnie Roberts. I’m the winemaker, owner, creative director and business manager of Matriarch & Rogue.

I use various methods to allow the fruit character that shows in the vineyard to shine. Time and temperature are our key elements from time of harvest to time on skins, picking in the cool of the night to cold maceration. The wines are allowed to evolve just as the brand has. In its own way and in its own time. The most important work is done in the vineyard with the timing of harvest pivotal in determining the style of each batch.
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Growth is continuing with the development and evolution of wines that push the boundaries every vintage while maintaining quality and purity of fruit. Working with growers to develop new concepts to bring to market, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

We are open to opportunities and exploring the potential of where each batch can go and creating products for a hungry market that is constantly looking for something that is new, bright, delicious and has heart. That is my brand.
That is Matriarch & Rogue.
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