Derek Hooper
Australia
Derek's Wines
- Australia
- 9 wines
- 2 styles
Creating a wine legacy at Cape Jaffa with three generations of Hoopers!
Hooper & Co’s wines echo the pristine land they come from, the local community and pushing wine boundaries (Derek’s speciality!)
Derek’s son, Harry, splits his time between winemaking and brewing. Daughter Grace is already elbow deep in grape juice, and Daisy is a marketing specialist in the industry.
From father Kym’s first vineyard back in 1992, through Derek, to his fresh-faced, eager charges, they are one of the new families of wine. And they’re out to stir up your palate with fantastic drops with sustainability at their core.
Vineyard Location
Derek Hooper's Story
If you don’t know Derek’s story, it begins when he was a cheeky 12-yr-old.
That was the age his dad roped him in to help plant the family’s first vineyard near Coonawarra.
By the age of 16, he’d started making wine and was on his way to a fermented obsession. A degree from Roseworthy College followed high school, as did vintages in France and Leconfield Winery in Coonawarra to earn his stripes.
“It was a good, honest grounding in hands-on winemaking,” Derek remembers. “I love the practical side of the process.”
By 1992, the family had moved to a remote corner of the Limestone Coast and planted vines on old cattle grazing land.
Set halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide, Cape Jaffa sits where the Southern Ocean collides with the land and cool breezes lick the hills. The region’s revered ‘terra rossa’ soil means moisture doesn’t hang around long, and makes for better grapes — if you look after it well.
And look after the land they did. In 1998, they started biodynamic production, an uber version of organic farming that incorporates the moon’s cycles to boost plant health.
Cape Jaffa went on to become one of the first certified organic vineyards in the Limestone Coast and pick up a 4 ½ star Halliday rating.
Derek continues to build on that heritage to this day.
“We’ve done our best to make our business more sustainable. Our massive solar array generates about 160kw of power a day. Coupled with our lithium batteries at 260 kwh capacity for night-time power supply, it means we can be completely off the grid.
“The property also produces 40-60 tonnes of compost a year and we’ve cut diesel usage as much as we practically can.”
And it remains very much a family affair.
Kym is still involved in the business. Derek’s son, Harry, has done two vintages now and splits his time between winemaking and brewing. Daughter Grace is already elbow deep in grape juice, and Daisy is a marketing specialist in the industry.
From Kym’s first vineyard back in 1992, through Derek, to his fresh-faced, eager charges, they are one of the new families of wine.
Derek's Archangels
Good Lookin;Rooster in a Ute
