Our Story
Established in 2013, Down The Rabbit Hole Wines is a family owned, boutique McLaren Vale winery. Our wines are made using biodynamic and organic vineyards and winemaking practices.
Our first vintage began with one wine, our Shiraz. Owner and founder, Domenic Palumbo, was mentored by Walter Clappis, one of Australia’s most outstanding wine makers, who encouraged and supported Dom to start his own label. What began as a passion project on the side quickly took a foothold in our lives as we poured all of our energy into it, and the people of Australia gave it a very warm reception.
Twelve years later we are still dedicated to producing small volume, super premium wine. In 2019 we opened our cellar door on the property where our family lives, which backs onto the vineyard and winery.
Our winemaking team also includes Walter’s son in law, James Cooter and Walter’s daughter, Kimberley Cooter.
The Founders
Domenic and Elise Palumbo started Down The Rabbit Hole shortly after getting married. Together they built a brand that was well known not just for exceptional wine, but for an extraordinary experience.
The Winemakers
The talented and accomplished Clappis and Cooter families — Walter, his daughter Kimberley, and her husband James— whose extensive experience, have helped us create the superb wine we all love.
The Executive Chef
Chris Bone, the culinary maestro behind the magic happening in our kitchen. With a love of Italy and incredible produce at the centre of everything he does, Chris cooks generously, with the season and with love, for every guest at the cellar door and in our restaurant, Fiore.
Meet the founders
Domenic & Elise Palumbo
We (Domenic and Elise Palumbo) started Down The Rabbit Hole shortly after getting married.
Together, with our team, we’ve built a brand that is well known not just for exceptional wine, but for an extraordinary experience.
Dom’s Italian grandparents made wine and his Nonna was a chef. Dom grew up immersed in the world of wine and food and taking care of others with these two things as a primary love language.
In his early twenties, Dom went down various paths following his love of wine, a wine bar on Rundle Street, a wine wholesale business, helping venues open and train their staff, and restaurant management.
Dom was mentored by Walter Clappis, one of Australia’s most outstanding winemakers, who encouraged and supported Dom to start his own label. What began as a passion project on the side quickly took a foothold in our lives as we poured all of our energy into it, and the people of Australia gave it a very warm reception.
Things started small and humble, with a great deal of focus on producing wines that are approachable, delicious, and have a real sense of place. This is done with minimal winemaking intervention to ensure the integrity of the fruit from vineyard to bottle. While Dom focused on the wine, Elise occasionally contributed with the branding and events, and later - less occasionally and more full-time.
LEARN MORE
After a series of sell out large events, Elise began running a Friday night market in Aldinga, called Fridays After Five, where they also ran the wine bar (with wine tastings!). She ran this for three years and they loved being a part of the very special community and drawing city folk down South every week.
In 2016 they knew their next step was to open a cellar door, but they also knew the amount of work this would bring with it would keep them working hard for years to come. So, they decided to take a sabbatical and spend a year traveling Australia in their Kombi van, showing the wines around the country as they did. This turned into well over two years traveling in their van, with Dom flying home to the winery when needed. Upon their return they immediately got to work on the property behind the winery, building the cellar door and renovating the old house.
Dom was determined to have the cellar door open within months, but the task was more monumental than they had realised, and one year of intense hard work later, in late 2019, they opened the Down The Rabbit Hole cellar door. Three months after that, they fell pregnant with their first child, and two months later the pandemic hit.
Fast forward five years and after the cellar door is now thriving, they have introduced another four wines to their offering, they also introduced Dom’s dream, an organic Italian restaurant, they have two children, and they are still living on site in the old house they renovated.
meet our
Wine Making Team
We have been fortunate to continue working with, and doing life with, the Clappis & Cooter families since 2013. A very talented and accomplished family of winemakers, who help us create the superb wine we all love to drink. And all round, wonderful, wonderful people.
Along with Walter Clappis, our winemaking team also includes his daughter Kimberley (Cooter), and her husband James Cooter.
LEARN MORE
With Walter's 40 plus years of experience and numerous accolades and trophies, and his extensive knowledge and understanding of biodynamic practices and organic winemaking, he is highly regarded in the industry and by all. Kimberley, who learned the craft from her father, and went on to study winemaking and work in California’s Sonoma Valley with James, before returning home to McLaren Vale, brings fresh ideas and new wine styles to the team. James, with a family history in the wine industry, was born to be a winemaker and quickly established himself as an incredibly skilled one at that. He is now an integral part of the winemaking team.
Meet our Executive Chef
Chris Bone
Chris Bone, the culinary maestro behind the magic happening in our kitchen. Chris leads with passion, care and a deep respect for produce. For him, every dish begins long before it reaches the pass: with the grower, the season and the finest ingredients he can find. Every step from there is done with love.
With a love of Italy at the centre of everything he does, Chris cooks the way Italians do: generously, and always with the season. His menus celebrate the best of our garden and the Fleurieu, changing with whatever is at its peak. His greatest joy is the moment a plate is set in front of you, and you can feel the care that went into it. Whether you're dining at the cellar door or in Fiore, that's the experience Chris creates for every guest.