From the Classroom to the Vineyard
Konpira Maru started, as many great ideas do, from two mates having a beer at the pub. Sam Cook was studying viticulture and winemaking at Melbourne's NMIT. Dr. Alastair Reed was his lecturer in the wildly entertaining botany course — a new breed of lecturer with youth, enthusiasm, knowledge, and a well-stocked beer fridge under his desk. After university, Sam moved to London to work in wine retail. He returned home, caught up with Al over a beer, and they were both shocked at how little wine was available in the style they enjoyed drinking — and at a reasonable price. Right then and there, they decided to make a wine to fill this gap. Minimal intervention, characterful, unique, drinkable, and at an accessible price point: that was the mission. The name? Konpira Maru — the fishing boat in Japanese Ninja Warrior, operated by the 'World's Strongest Fisherman,' Makoto Nagano. Al has a fraternal, almost spiritual connection with the great Makoto; naming his first-born business after him was only fitting. The first vintage in 2014 was a whopping 600 hand grenades of fun skin-contact whites. Today, they farm their own vineyard in Whitlands above the King Valley, make wine across Victoria and Queensland, and have become must-haves on the natural wine circuit. No financial assistance. No family ties to the industry. Built purely on passion, love for a product and process, and a lot of beer.
A Beer at the Pub, A Dream Born
Sam Cook enrolled in viticulture and winemaking at Melbourne's Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) and happened upon Dr. Alastair Reed — yes, he prefers everyone knows he is a doctor — in the botany course. Doc Al was a new breed of lecturer: young, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and possessed of a well-stocked beer fridge under his desk. After spending time as a lecturer, Alastair sought to spearhead a more practical and experience-based degree. This ideology was eventually shut down; after years of trying to fight the educational bureaucracy, the old guard defeated him, and he decided to leave his post of mentoring some of Australia's best new-wave producers. Sam finished the degree years before Alastair left, lucky enough to get Al in his prime with wild field trips, afternoon debriefs in his office over beers, winery BBQs, house parties, and bar crawls. A really strong teacher-student relationship was built.
After finishing university, Sam moved to London to work in the retail and sales trade, expanding his knowledge and palate. It was a great experience, though he missed the vineyards and weather. Sam returned home and caught up with Alastair over a beer. At the time, Sam was working retail in Melbourne and Alastair was still in charge of the degree course. They were both shocked at how little wine was available in the style they enjoyed drinking — and equally important, at a reasonable price. It was that simple, really. Right then and there, they decided to make a wine to fill this gap in the market. Minimal intervention, characterful, unique, drinkable, and at an accessible price point: that was the mission.
The first two vintages were made at NMIT's winery facility, buying tiny quantities of fruit from Chalmers in Merbein near Mildura. They played with varieties like Garganega, Malvasia, and Nosiola — some of the first releases of these varieties in Australia. The first vintage was 600 500ml hand grenades of fun skin-contact whites. They had no idea where this would take them but were content, as it was great fun and another excuse to drink booze with like-minded people. Since those experimental beginnings, they have been growing organically, almost doubling in production each year, now finding themselves as full-time winemakers and grape growers. Konpira Maru is a tribute to living the dream — accomplished without any financial assistance, with no family ties to the industry, built purely on passion and love for a product and process.
"We set out to make interesting wines with minimal intervention and maximum care. Wines that were full of character, with a focus on affordability and a high-drinkability factor."
— Alastair Reed
Whitlands & Beyond — Two States, Six-Month Vintage
In 2016, Al and Sam took on their own vineyard in Whitlands, sitting high above the King Valley in Victoria's high country. Here they farm Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Gris organically on beautiful red soil, surrounded by a stunning sub-alpine Eucalypt forest. The vineyard is a lofty site — cool, exposed, and distinctly different from the warmer valleys below. The red soils give the wines a unique mineral character, and the sub-alpine climate ensures slow ripening and high natural acidity. They prune in winter in the snow, working with a Thai family who have lived in the King Valley for nearly 20 years. The grapes grow among wombats and kangaroos. All the wine is pressed, fermented, and bottled within 20 metres from the vines themselves.
But the Whitlands vineyard is only part of the story. Konpira Maru also makes wine from the South Burnett and Granite Belt regions in Queensland, as well as Kilmore in Victoria. This means they effectively have a six-month vintage — harvesting in Queensland from January through April, and in Victoria from March through June. In Queensland, everything is done rudimentarily — one tiny pump, liquid transfers by hand, three and a half hours in the truck from Brisbane. Because everything is done by hand, they can get away with using absolutely no sulphur. The Granite Belt is an awesome little region with granite soils and a cool climate that punches above its weight. Kilmore, in Victoria, provides another cool-climate source for their ever-expanding range.
The growers are central to everything. Al and Sam work closely with a crew of amazing growers across both states — people who care about their fruit and farm with the same ethos. They use all organic sprays for disease control where required, purchased from a small guy in Benalla. In Whitlands, they farm sustainably, which goes beyond organic — it means functioning as an ecosystem, a practice that their partner Jim Hardie helped pioneer. The mentality towards the end product has never changed: still striving for the same goal with each wine — delicious value.
Purchased 2016. High above the King Valley on beautiful red soil, surrounded by sub-alpine Eucalypt forest. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Gris farmed organically. Pruned in winter snow with a Thai family who have lived in the valley for 20 years. Wombats and kangaroos roam the vineyard. All wine made within 20 metres of the vines.
Two regions in Queensland providing fruit for the range. South Burnett is warm and early-ripening; Granite Belt has granite soils and a surprisingly cool climate. Everything is done rudimentarily — one tiny pump, hand transfers, no sulphur possible because of the manual control. Harvest January through April.
Another cool-climate Victorian source for Konpira Maru. Part of the six-month vintage that sees them harvesting from January (Queensland) through June (Victoria). The Kilmore fruit contributes to the diversity of styles and varieties in the range, particularly for their lighter, fresher expressions.
All organic sprays for disease control where required. In Whitlands, sustainable farming goes beyond organic — functioning as an ecosystem, a practice pioneered by partner Jim Hardie. Healthy understory of grasses, weed management without chemicals, and a commitment to biodiversity above all else.
Minimal Intervention, Maximum Care
Konpira Maru's motto is simple: "Minimal intervention, maximum care." For Al and Sam, minimal intervention means they don't intervene if they don't have to. If you're a brand producing a million litres of wine, you need it to appeal to everyone — which means loading it with chemicals, filtering the crap out of it, and adding a tonne of preservatives. More often than not, they're using sub-optimal fruit. Konpira Maru does the opposite: they buy fruit from caring farmers and make wines by hand. They don't need all that extra stuff — they just let the wine speak for itself.
All ferments use only natural yeasts. With little to no use of oak, these wines are all about fruit purity and transparency. No adjustments are made throughout vinification, save for a very small amount of sulphur at bottling — and even then, only if deemed necessary. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. The whites generally see skin contact, and the rosés are blends of red and white wines. The reds include everything from Pinot Noir to Syrah to Sangiovese and other Italian varieties, made in an energetic style but still with plenty of fruit depth. Think fun packaging meets serious drinking.
The goal has never changed: to produce wines that are both full of character and with a high drinkability factor, and to inject a little fun back into an industry often accused of taking itself too seriously. With their memorable labels and irrepressible attitudes, the pair are quickly becoming must-haves on the natural wine circuit. Each release over the past few years has seen Al and Sam take big steps forward — getting to know the vineyards better is yielding a deeper understanding of how to best express these sites, and constantly refining their craft in the winery is translating to wines of greater purity and balance. These are undeniably joyous wines but with a serious and contemporary edge.
The Mt Midoriyama Pét-Nat Range
Konpira Maru's most iconic and playful range — a series of pétillants naturels named after the legendary mountain in Japanese Ninja Warrior. The Classic Edition is a bubbly rosé with bright watermelon and pomegranate flavours. The Total Victory is a celebration in a bottle. The Tear of Makoto walks the line between rosé and light red. Each release is different, unpredictable, and utterly joyous — the kind of wine that makes you want to open a second bottle before the first is finished. Made with minimal sulphur, unfined, unfiltered, and bottled with a crown cap for immediate pleasure. These are not serious wines for serious people; these are fun wines for fun people — and they happen to be made with serious care.
Fun Packaging, Serious Drinking
Alastair Reed and Sam Cook are known as much for their down-to-earth approach as they are for their fun, tasty, and adventurous wines. They are a force to be reckoned with in the industry — but not in the traditional sense. They don't wear suits. They don't do board meetings. They make wine by hand, sell it at accessible prices, and have a bloody good time doing it. Their labels are memorable, their attitudes irrepressible, and their wines are quickly becoming must-haves on the natural wine circuit across Australia and beyond.
The Konpira Maru range is deliberately eclectic. They make wine from Italian varieties (Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto), French varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris), German varieties (Scheurebe, Kerner, Ehrenfelser, Gewürztraminer), and Australian hybrids. They make skin-contact whites, pét-nats, light reds, serious reds, and everything in between. The common thread is not the grape or the region — it's the approach. Every wine is made with minimal intervention, maximum care, and an unwavering commitment to deliciousness.
Beyond wine, Al and Sam are deeply committed to community. They work with a crew of amazing growers across two states. They employ a Thai family in the King Valley. They make wine with their families at harvest. They believe in supporting small, local businesses — "When you buy something from a small-medium producer, you're going to get something interesting. You might not always love everything, but that's ok. If your aim is to satisfy absolutely everybody, you've got to take the middle road — you can't have extremes. So you end up with this beige result, which everybody likes a little bit. We're not interested in that." This is not a corporate wine project. This is two mates who decided to make the wines they wanted to drink — and found that a lot of other people wanted to drink them too.
"When you buy something from a small-medium producer you're going to get something interesting. You might not always love everything, but that's ok. We're not interested in beige."
— Alastair Reed
The Konpira Maru Range
Konpira Maru produces a wide and ever-changing range of wines across Victoria and Queensland. The portfolio spans skin-contact whites, pét-nats, rosés, light reds, and serious reds — all made with natural yeasts, minimal sulfur, no fining, and no filtration. The wines are characterised by fruit purity, transparency, and an infectious sense of fun. The labels are memorable, the prices accessible, and the drinking experience always joyous. Whether it's a bubbly pét-nat from Whitlands or a savoury red from the Granite Belt, every bottle carries the same DNA: minimal intervention, maximum care, and a whole lot of personality.