MOMENTO MORI WINES

“Handcrafted with consideration and integrity.”

Momento Mori Wines is a small-scale winery run by a husband and wife team – Dane & Hannah Johns – in Gippsland (Victoria, Australia). The name “Momento Mori” comes from the Latin phrase “Memento Mori” which means “Remember that you will die”, and perfectly reflects their principle of making wines that above all have respect for the living.

Dane and Hannah farm their vineyards using strict organic principles, sourcing high-quality fruit from like-minded growers throughout Victoria, who also strive for sustainable and natural farming practices.

All Momento Mori cuvées are hand-made using small ferments, wild yeast, no oak, and no wine-making additions. Used to be a sound engineer, Dane began his career with electronic music using modern digital equipment. Dane then soon found it more satisfying to use analog equipment to create his next hit, despite the lack of options and tools to fix problems. Dane is all about keeping it raw and real – both in music and winemaking. Momento Mori wine is not fined, or filtered and nothing is added except for a tiny spray of sulfur before bottling in some cuvées.

Dane’s 20 years of experience in the coffee industry before winemaking also has a great impact on his approach to wine. Roasting and making coffee for some of Melbourne’s top coffee importers and roasters had trained his nose and palate to understand and recognize balance. Knowing well how different aromas and flavors work, Dane never fails to work his magic with blending grapes, making wines that are full of idiosyncratic and aromatic characteristics.

As Dane and Hannah describe, their wines are vibrant, full of character, freshness, purity, and above all, alive.