2022 Kelvin Feku - Grenache Noir W.O. Wellington (750ml)

Kelvin Feku's path to winemaking began far from the Cape winelands. Originally from Zimbabwe, he fled the country amid violence and economic collapse, then worked his way up from vineyard laborer to assistant winemaker under Alex Milner at Natte Valleij, a Simonsberg estate known for mentoring young talent. The 2022 Grenache Noir marks Feku's first release under his own name, made from just two barrels, with a label depicting his Zimbabwean hometown mapped onto the root structure of the old bush vines that produced the wine.

The grapes come from dry-farmed, old bush-vine Grenache Noir grown under Wellington's Wine of Origin designation, a warm inland district known for producing concentrated fruit from unirrigated vineyards. After harvest the grapes were basket pressed, a gentler method that limits extraction, then the wine rested undisturbed in foudre for nine months, allowing it to develop complexity without picking up heavy oak influence.

The wine pours a translucent crimson and offers a lifted mix of wild raspberry and crunchy cherry, layered with smoked plum, tobacco, and a savory, herbal edge that finishes with a note reminiscent of rooibos tea and a lingering hint of salinity. Light on its feet, it drinks best with a slight chill, and pairs well with roast duck, herbed sausages, or a charcuterie board.