Who We Are

Depallas Wine Group

Depallas Wine Group is situated in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia which borders the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Depallas Wine Group has the centennial boutique winery Hastwell and Lightfoot and the Barossa black-horse winery Cooper and Burns as strategic business partners. which when combined are responsible for 107 acres of vineyards located in the prestigious Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Winemaking, viticulture, bottling and marketing are all overseen by qualified and experienced winemakers and professional staff.

The variety of grapes grown by Depallas throughout the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale is very diverse encompassing all of the popular and novel wines. These regions are free from overpopulation and pollution and as such the purity of the grapes grown is maintained. The production of all wines is stringently controlled with many quality targets which are maintained throughout the entire process, therefore yielding a consistent wine that is sure to excite any wine drinker's palate.

In 2020, Depallas Wine Group has been building a new online platform called "Transoceanic Wines", which brings customers a new retail model of wines, C2M. This mode creates a straight link between overseas wineries and customers, which will give customers a brand new shopping experience.

Where We Are

South Australia

South Australia is Australia’s largest wine-producing state but what makes its wines distinctive is the unique climate and vast sunlight, this allows its vineyards to prosper year after year. The sparsely populated areas of which South Australian grapes are grown is ideal for the development and maturation of plant growth. These unique and ideal conditions allow for pristine quality, distinctive, fruity, solely South Australian wine with excellent mouthfeel. Due to the immense reputation of South Australian wines, winemakers have adopted the most modern equipment and advanced techniques for wine production while maintaining the European craftsmanship on which they were founded. This, combined with South Australia’s long-standing wine culture and philosophy make South Australian wines stand out from anywhere else on earth.

Hastwell and Lightfoot winery is situated in the pristine coastal region of McLaren Vale, less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide’s city center. The eastern side of the production facility is adjacent to the Mount Lofty Ranges and the western side faces the Indian Ocean. It is a picturesque region with undulating hills and beautiful ocean panoramas and scenery. However, it is the cool coastal climate that lends to the uniqueness of the region's wines. The most notable is McLaren Vale Shiraz with light teasing aromas and flavours of mocha, dark chocolate, black plum and blackberries a true sensory delight.

Hastwell and Lightfoot Winery is situated in the easternmost part of McLaren Vale, therefore, lending itself to the most ideal climate. It is close to the hills and as a result is privy to the deep moist soils of the region. Such soils are mostly composed of sandy, calcareous red clay which contributes to the distinctive rich full wine grapes grown here, this is why McLaren Vale wines stand out.

Our Brands & Awards

Our winemakers won a host of awards

Our Professional

Depallasers

Russell Burns

CEO

The CEO of Depallas Wine Group is Russell burns. Russell has 16 years of experience in wine making and wine brand management. He has been directly responsible for brand operations and the production line since 2016. Russell gained vast experience making world-class ultra-premium famous wines including The Laird & RunRig – both wines receiving 100 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate on multiple occasions. On top of this Russell founded the Barossa Valley winery Cooper and Burns alongside Mark.

Jason Dai

General manager

The founder of the Australian Depallas Wine Group, graduated from the University of Adelaide with his master’s degree. He has studied wine brewing and marketing knowledge in Australia and Europe and has always been keenly aware of the development of the New World wine industry. He is now devoting all of his energy on branding and team construction.

Mark Cooper

Chief winemaker

The chief winemaker at Depallas is Mark Cooper, a veteran winemaker with 17 years of experience most notably as a senior winemaker at Treasury Wine Estates, Mark worked closely with brands such as Penfolds, Wolf Blass and Wynns. Mark’s role at Treasury Wine Estates has given him unique insight into customer and supplier relationships and an understanding of the different customer palate preferences in various global market，On top of this Mark founded the Barossa Valley winery Cooper and Burns alongside Russell.

James Hastwell

Chief winemaker

James Hastwell is the chief winemaker at Hastwell and Lightfoot Winery which he inherited from his forefathers. He began to participate in the wine making process at the young age of 6 with his father and grandfather. As a young winemaker James showed his prowess and exceptional talent for winemaking by continually innovating techniques which were passed on to him and quickly became a star within the region. He combines traditional and innovative wine making techniques to accentuate the natural conditions of the region in his wines and as such has been a regular winner of major wine competitions at a young age.