James Kalleske Wines

21/01/2026

A frugal wine by design, served slightly cool.

Our Short Stories Barossa Valley Nouveau is drawn from the skins of our Grenache and Shiraz from our rosé production, with a portion of carbonic-macerated Alicante Bouschet and Viognier. Made creatively using grape skins that would otherwise be discarded, it’s bright and juicy, with notes of morello cherry and chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Enjoyed here at Begawan Biji in Ubud, a sustainably minded kitchen serving heritage rice and organic vegetables from their permaculture garden 🍷

04/11/2025

We’re recently back from an eye-opening trip to the Penedès wine region just west of Barcelona 🇪🇸

Thanks to Jesi at and Jordi at for showing us some of the best sparkling wines in the region — under the Corpinnat classification 🥂

Much pan con tomate, jamón ibérico, and rolling vineyard views were imbibed — along with bubbles, naturally!

14/10/2025

We profiled Ubud-based botanical artist Tania Efimova — .aquarelle.art — to celebrate the launch of Short Stories in Bali.

Her work tallies over 50 indigenous flower varieties –from the elusive dragonfruit bloom to the island’s ubiquitous frangipanis – all rendered in gorgeously intricate watercolour.

On a high from her recent win at the Plantae Exhibition in London, she was a joy to chat botany and Bali with. Read the full profile – which dips into little-known local associations with Balinese flora and their ritualistic role – below.

Explore the work of Ubud-based botanical artist Tatania Efimova as she delves into Bali’s sacred flowers, their role in daily rituals, and the island’s deeper spiritual symbolism. From beauty to meaning, discover how blooms shape Balinese life — and how Tania captures it all through her art.

25/09/2025

We’re thrilled to be part of the this year!

Join us with Chicago-born poet and performer Miles Merrill for a night of wine, cheese, and poetry at Kemiri, COMO Uma Ubud’s frangipani-fringed restaurant. We’ll be showcasing our wines alongside artisan cheeses by from the Central Java highlands and a line-up of international poets.

Price includes a welcome mocktail, a glass of wine, and canapés.

📍COMO Uma Ubud
🗓️ Thursday, 30 October
⏰ 18.00 - 19.30
🎟️ IDR 590,000++

16/09/2025

Now available in Bali 🙌

Find us at The Cellardoor Bali 🍷

31/07/2025

“Serendipity”

Label art for Short Stories Barossa Valley Rosé, featuring angel wings, wisteria, alyssum, ivy.

“This wine celebrates love and my enduring connection to the island of Bali. It’s here that I took on the career-shifting role as head winemaker at Hatten Wines – a position that I’m still happily immersed in ten years later. Bali is also where I met my wife, Ali, and this rosé is inspired by an occasion early in our relationship: a lazy Sunday brunch at Jimbaran Bay, with a bottle of Whispering Angel rosé. Giddy with vino and the excitement of new love, it’s a moment that has stuck with us both. The wine we drank that day left a lasting impression too, becoming a worldwide reference for Provence rosé.

We commissioned this dreamy watercolour for the label, capturing the joy of that day and the cottage gardens of the Barossa, where it was made.”

— James Kalleske, winemaker

24/07/2025

Short Stories 2024 Barossa Valley Rosé
92 points

“It’s finely expressed on the nose, showing wild strawberry, crunchy apple and apricot characters with a hint of spicy nuance. The palate delivers juicy fruit flavours with fine flow backed by bright acidity, finishing crisp-dry and lingering”.

– Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Grab a bottle via our online shop
👉🏻
www.jameskalleskewines.com

15/07/2025

Sunset over the gum trees, Margaret River 🌳

Whether Jarrah, Marri or Karri, majestic old trees are a defining feature of the Margaret River region. Reaching upwards of 60 metres, they rise from some of the most ancient soils on Earth — estimated to be around 600 million years old.

Combined with cooling Southern Ocean breezes and a pristine, remote locale, it’s this rare soil–climate combination that helps shape such distinctive and highly prized wines.

Our Short Stories SBS comes from an organically managed vineyard in the cooler southern reaches of the region, where sandy, schisty soils offer ideal drainage and growing conditions for Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. We hope you enjoy the result.

Grab a bottle via our online shop
👉🏻 www.jameskalleskewines.com

04/07/2025

Short Stories 2024 Margaret River SBS
93 points

"Intensely aromatic, the bouquet shows green apple, rockmelon, and kaffir lime notes, leading to a lively palate that's filled with bright fruit intensity. Splendidly structured with a sustained, mouth-watering finish".

-- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Grab a bottle of our latest vintage via our website.
👉🏻 www.jameskalleskewines.com

30/06/2025

“Spring”
Original watercolour by

We commissioned this watercolour for the label of our Short Stories Margaret River SBS (Sauvignon Blanc Semillon) — a Bordeaux white blend that’s found a new-world home in Margaret River.

I moved to Margs in my twenties, drawn in by the native forests and natural beauty of the place. At the time, the region was on the rise as a wine-producing area, and I was an ambitious young winemaker on the cusp of starting a family.

The botanicals captured in “Spring” represent the eight vintages I spent there — working 16-hour days in the cellar and coming home red-eyed and weary to two newborn daughters. Weekends were often spent pruning vines at a friend’s hobby farm in Nannup, with baby Willow sleeping in a bassinet beside me.

The willow and ginkgo biloba symbolise the saplings I planted to mark the births of my girls, Willow and Stevie. The acorn honours Cullen Wines, where I was mentored by Vanya Cullen and profoundly influenced by their beautiful biodynamic wines. And the oak leaf is a nod to the majestic old oak tree at Rockfield Estate, where I made my first gold-medal-winning wine — fittingly, a Sauvignon Blanc Semillon.

— James Kalleske, winemaker

25/06/2025

Here’s winemaker James (right) in the cottage garden of his childhood home in the Barossa with his sister Leda, and grandpa, Frank.

James was raised in the historic township of Tanunda, in the heart of Barossa wine country. He grew up playing amidst vineyards and surrounded by wine culture. It’s this garden that inspired James’ love for botany and nature in general.

And our Short Stories GSM is shaped by that history, a much-loved Barossa blend that reflects the land and soils of this special place.

18/06/2025

"Roots"

Original watercolour by Dan Tompkins

We commissioned this botanical watercolour for the label of our Short Stories GSM, a blend that's synonymous with the Barossa Valley, where I grew up. The flowers and natural elements represented are deeply nostalgic for me, recalling school holidays playing in mum's cottage garden or exploring the surrounding countryside of Tanunda. Our GSM was the first wine we produced and it's a blend that's close to my heart as one of the first styles I drank as a young man.

— James Kalleske, winemaker