GKLR

17/06/2026

Well that was fun!! We were so shocked and honoured to win New Vineyard of the Year for Young Gun of Wine last night. It was wonderful to celebrate and share the day with so many progressive and passionate growers, at a time when our industry faces a mountain of challenges. A huge thanks to Rory, Max Allen and the YGOW team, not only for putting on a great night, but for showcasing Australian producers young and old, big and small through these awards.

This year marks 10 years since we bought our block in Colbinabbin, 8 years since we started to plant our vineyard and 2 years since we launched our own wine label. 32 hectares of vines and 2 beautiful boys later it’s fair to say it’s been a very full and fun decade.

It’s so nice to have our hard work recognised and to take a moment to celebrate. Not for too long though, we were back in our beautiful vineyard this afternoon with some extra silverware!

🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

17/06/2026

We won!! 🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊

At the 6th annual Vineyard of the Year Awards, the New Vineyard of the Year award goes to Gerard Kennedy and Barney Tuohey of GKLR Vineyard in Heathcote, Victoria.

Behind every great vineyard is a great partnership. ‘GKLR’ stands for Gerard Kennedy and Lucy Runnalls – and this 32-hectare Heathcote property is very much a family project, built from the ground up, together. Before planting a single vine, Kennedy – a trained geologist – commissioned electromagnetic surveys and grid soil sampling across the entire site. Rootstocks were then matched to what the data revealed. Varieties were chosen for where the climate is heading, not where it has been.

GKLR Vineyard sits on a narrow strip of 550-million-year-old Cambrian geology in Heathcote – one of the most distinctive soils in the country. Here Kennedy and co-grower Barney Tuohey tend to shiraz, fiano, sangiovese, nero d’avola, nebbiolo and piedirosso across 32 hectares – managed at the level of the individual row. There are six clones of sangiovese alone, across three blocks on three soil types. East-west row orientation was introduced in 2023 to shield fruit from harsh afternoon sun – during a recent three-day stretch above 40 degrees, the difference was immediately obvious.

“We practice precision viticulture to grow better quality fruit at the row level, not vineyard level,” says Kennedy. Recognising that precision – across geology, variety and clone, and technology – is exactly why the Vineyard of the Year Awards exist. GKLR represents the face of contemporary Australian viticulture – and the future for Australian winegrowing is bright.

10/05/2026

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

28/04/2026

Get your tickets now!

23/04/2026

✨NEW WINE ALERT✨
We’re excited to release our 2025 Syrah Sangiovese, best served as a chilled red. Perfect for these sunny autumn days. Order online now

https://gklr.wine/products/2025-syrah-sangiovese

15/04/2026

We’re pretty stoked to be finalists for Vineyard of the Year for YGOW 🫶

10/04/2026

Come and visit us on 9 May at Abbotsford Convent!

🍇 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀: GKLR

🪨 .wine was born when geologist Gerard Kennedy, and Lucy Runnalls, purchased a block of Cambrian soil on Colbinabbin’s Mount Camel range back in 2016. The result? Vibrant, Italian-inspired wines like Fiano, Nero d’Avola, and Nebbiolo that perfectly match the Colbo climate.

🍷 Explore their bright, vibrant range by the glass and by the bottle.
Discover 20 iconic Victorian wineries at our biggest Heathcote in the City event to date on May 9 at Abbotsford Convent.

🎫 Book your tickets via or find the link in our bio 👆

15/03/2026

Picking from our steepest block today. We planted these vines in 2023 in an East-West orientation and they have thrived this hot vintage. Beautiful fruit coming off 🍇🍇🍇

19/02/2026

Early mornings in Colbo are the best. Our first pick of V26 is getting very close!

31/01/2026

It’s been a hot January but our vines are still looking lush, particularly our east-west rows. We’ve been out early this morning counting bunches to get an idea of our 2026 yields. Looking like a late February start at this stage!