Words: Danielle Davey | Photos: Amber Gardener
Growing up on his family’s centuries-old Domaine Paul Blanck vineyard at Alsace in northern France, Lucas Blanck was a seven-hour drive from the nearest ocean beach.
Now, asserting his own identity on the Peninsula as a viticulturist and winemaker at Kerri Greens Wines, he finds inspiration in the coastal landscape.
Kerri Greens is a boutique winery co-founded by Lucas that produces small-batch wines across four single-vineyard sites at Red Hill, Balnarring and Tuerong. The name pays homage to a nearby Flinders surf break, known for its wild, raw environment.
The bottles feature striking label art depicting imaginative sea creatures. Incorporating forms including a nautilus, a nudibranch and a sand dollar, the hand-drawn cast of characters was chosen to reflect each wine’s personality.
While the quirky label designs elicit curiosity, the big surprise is inside the bottle. Lucas draws on a deep-seated winemaking heritage – shaped by his family’s estate, formal studies, and apprenticeships across France and Australia – to deliver forward-thinking blends deeply rooted in tradition.
Lucas’s favourite perfectly expresses the bridging of past and present. The Kerri Greens Citrea Riesling, produced at the Kayes site in Red Hill South, is an ode to the wines he grew up drinking in Alsace. While the Peninsula isn’t primarily known for its riesling, building its reputation instead on pinot noir and chardonnay, the Citrea – with its adventurous flavours of lemon curd, shortbread and jasmine blossom – has become one of Kerri Greens’ most popular wines.
At each of the four vineyards leased, Lucas and his team use organic farming practices, favouring a largely ‘hands-off’ approach. They are one of the few winemakers on the Peninsula implementing dry-farmed viticulture, growing grapes without supplementary irrigation and relying on natural precipitation and soil moisture. The result is an enhanced terroir, yielding grapes with thicker skins and highly concentrated flavours.
Despite the maturity of his expertise, Lucas is regarded as an emerging winemaking talent on the Peninsula. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was recently shortlisted for the 2026 Young Gun of Wine Awards to be announced later this year.
Juggling the demands of managing four vineyards with a schedule of interstate trade shows and local markets, Kerri Greens no longer runs a cellar door. Anyone who’s met Lucas and his team at the Emu Plains and Red Hill markets, however, can testify to the generosity of their time and knowledge.
Kerri Greens wines form part of the line-up at the Mould x Pinot Palooza from July 3-5, and they’re also available at select restaurants and bottle shops. Better still, join Kerri Greens’ wine club to receive a selection of six wines two, three or four times a year – a mix of new releases, back vintage and current wines delivered to your door. For more information, visit kerrigreens.com
