Konpira Maru started, as many great ideas do, as an idea born from two mates having a beer at the pub.

Working in the retail, production and education sectors of the wine industry for many years, we were searching for our own creative outlet. Sharing similar viticultural, winemaking and beer-drinking values, we set out on our vinous journey and, from these humble beginnings, produced the first vintage in 2014, which resulted in just 600 bottles.

We’d been frustrated at how expensive interesting wines were, the wines we were wanting to drink, and how we couldn’t just crack a bottle mid-week on our meagre wages. So we set out to make interesting wines with minimal intervention but maximum care – wines you could afford to have with a bowl of spaghetti on a Wednesday night.

Thus was born the Konpira Maru mission statement: make mid-week wines great again. Make wines that were full of character, with a focus on affordability and a high drinkability. Wines that aren’t so expensive that you feel the need to talk about them the whole time during your meal, you can just enjoy the company you’re with (and have another bottle)!