“I have evolved over the years to understand that winemaking is a small function of what we actually do. Primarily, I am a soil farmer.”
Born in Blantyre, Malawi, and schooled at Rondebosch Boys’ High in Cape Town, Kevin graduated from the University of Pretoria with a BSc honours degree in zoology. Always drawn to winemaking, he went on to complete a diploma in Cellar Technology at Elsenburg Agricultural College, graduating as the Dux Student in 1990.
While working at top-end estates in South Africa, he was able to undertake study/harvest trips to France, Oregon in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Making the inevitable decision to embark on a solo career came in late 2004 when Kevin launched his own label – Ataraxia. Having extensively scoured the Walker Bay for the piece of land that would at last measure up to the exacting criteria of location, climate, soil and slope of this self-confessed terroirist, he found and purchased the ‘ultimate site’ in Hemel-en-Aarde. Here he pours his considerable energy and winemaking skills into developing a small, focused range of hand-crafted, individual and terroir expressive wines – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a classically styled red blend named ‘Serenity’.