BK Wines is a fresh face, one that pokes fun at the wine establishment. “Made with love, not money” proclaims the website as do a pair of hands punching out at you with “handmade” tattooed across the knuckles. But this is no corporate ‘anti-marketing’ campaign – it’s the tiny project of a man known as BK.
BK Wines is a small artisan producer expressing single site and soul owned by Brendon and Kirsty Keys. Brendon is a Kiwi turned Aussie DJ, Chef and Winemaker. He sports a ginger beard and a wry smile and a lack of pretension. Brendon has worked in the US, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. The wines are made at their own winery, Altamont Premium Studio, along with contract-made wines for a number of businesses in and around the Adelaide Hills.
“People ask me what kind of wine I want to make. I like to think of myself as modern French; oak and wild yeast are two key points, and knowing when to intervene,” he says. “I make wine because I have an idea in my head. For example, this year I want purity of fruit. I think ‘what do I like about Pinot Gris?’ I like pears and ginger beer. ‘Now, how do I get the right texture .. ‘”
He experiments like a mad scientist. He has a Pinot Noir that’s macerated on skins for 100 days, which is risky business and not for the faint-hearted. When it comes to wine regions and varieties, BK similarly favors individuality over uniformity. “In the past, big producers came in and wanted Adelaide Hills Chardonnay or Pinot Noir and they were planted on the wrong sites,” he says. “New Zealand is a good example of what not to do: Sauvignon Blanc was where all the money was, so investors moved in and planted heaps of land to the variety, which destroyed everything that was good about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. “In the Hills, everyone jumped on Sauvignon Blanc, then Albariño that wasn’t Albariño, the varieties of the moment are Tempranillo and Grüner Veltliner. “The Hills is going in the right direction, but needs to concentrate on not being a monoculture. We have small pockets all over the place, which is awesome, and we have to find the right place for the right grapes. The region is still finding its feet, but doesn’t give itself enough praise. Why can’t we become known for our region rather than a variety?”
