MEET… the Kooks behind LA KOOKI
Today – we chat to the kooki husband-wife duo behind La Kooki.
Eloise Jarvis and Glenn Goodall created La Kooki as a space to bend rules, harness creativity, and express personality.
With more than 50 years of wine industry experience between them, the duo shares a bulging cavern of knowledge, expertise and experience.
Names… Mr & Mrs Kooks (Glenn Goodall and Eloise Jarvis)
Label… La Kooki
Region… Margaret River and beyond (wherever the opportunity takes them)
Let’s talk Wine…
Biggest shifts in Aussie wine over the past 5-10 years…
GG: What’s old is new again; for example the Chenin Blanc revolution. We’re keen to see the Verdelho back in Vogue.
Where do you see Aussie wine going in the next 5-10 years…
GG: Lighter, more elegant wines coming to the forefront. Lightweight glass becoming mainstream – really sustainability at all levels.
EJ: Innovation. I think we are facing a tough time with stiff competition, and we really need to advocate hard for Australian wine’s position as more than just an alcoholic beverage. It’s about bringing people together over food and creating occasions that wine is part of the celebration. Australian wine has always been innovative, and this is what will keep us front and centre.
La Kooki in three words…
EJ: Local. Knowledge. Opportunities.
La Kooki is on a mission to…
GG: Break Even (haha).
La Kooki is getting a bit of a facelift, tell us about the new labels…
EJ: We wanted to zhush them and create a Kooki edge.
We worked with James at Ground Creative who immediately understood our brief. Every element of the new label is about something a bit different, something a bit Kooki.
Something to draw you in. You question it and then you go - aahhhh that’s what they did – cool. It’s good, very good. The 2024 wines will have the new look.
Your Boya Chardonnay is pretty special…
GG: It’s the only Chardonnay of its kind….. in the World! The use of stones in the winemaking process has a unique tangible effect on the wine which is magic.
What does sustainability look like at La Kooki…
EJ: It is what we stand for and are working towards. The shift to lightweight glass in 2021 was the first step. La Kooki is an inaugural member of Margaret River Wine’s Lightweight Glass Packaging Charter, which is a world-first for any wine region. Quite a few of the growers we work with are Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certified members (which we are too) and all of them are thoughtful with their grape growing. Who you do business with (and how) matters too.
A little more about the Kooks…
Your at home pour…
GG: Xanadu Cabernet (got to love a staffy)
Currently reading…
EJ: The Season, by Helen Garner
GG: weather forecasts… always
Currently listening to…
EJ: Podcasts: The Imperfects, Huberman Lab and Inside Winemaking – the lovely Severine Logan put me onto it!
GG: A playlist my (soon-to-be 18-year-old) daughter made …. Fresh, worldly and eclectic!
La Kooki wines. Eminently drinkable. Local at heart. Born out of opportunity. Full of knowledge. Bursting with personality.