Jemma grew up in the Adelaide Hills and was introduced to wine from an early age, with her dad working in the Tolley’s winery in Hope Valley and her mum from the Sobels family in Clare. When her studies to become a Vet switched to studying Viticulture & Oenology at the University of Adelaide, everything seemed to click into place.

She began her career working for Rockford Wines in the Barossa Valley while studying, turning her hand at everything within that business before settling on a Viticulturist position shortly after graduating from Uni. In 2019, she and her partner Steve launched J&S Fielke, a small Adelaide Hills winery and vineyard centred around the pairs’ combined love for the intricacies of grapegrowing with the complexities of a region as broad as the Adelaide Hills. The wines are crafted from their own property in Lower Hermitage as well as from grapes grown by a handful of like-minded growers across the region to showcase the best of ‘right place, right variety.’

Aside from J&S Fielke, Jemma also manages the Deanery Vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, growing 25ha of premium vineyards for a range of boutique wineries, from emerging to industry stalwarts. Her time divided between viticulture and winemaking gives her the best of both worlds when it comes to understanding what goes into making the best wine for a place.

Jemma is a member of the Adelaide Hills Wine show committee, as well as the executive committee for the region, and is passionate about the harmony between viticulture and winemaking industry relationships and shared knowledge.