Brendon Keys
CREATIVITY OVER CONFORMITY
Brendon Keys is a man of many passions. Whether he’s skateboarding, DJing or making wines that people talk about, you can be sure he’s giving it his all.
New-Zealand born, Brendon’s got a laser-like focus on making wines with a lo-tech, punk attitude – seriously good wines that don’t take themselves too seriously. A breath of fresh air from the land of the long white cloud. In his Adelaide Hills winery, he’s helping to redefine what modern Australian wine means.
The winding road to winemaker
Before he heard the call of the vine, Brendon started out as a chef in his native New Zealand. He eventually realised the kitchen wasn’t for him but he took something important with him: a newly sparked interest in wine that would grow into a career and lifelong obsession.
If you were to design the perfect path to becoming a winemaker, it might look something like Brendan’s journey. He studied viticulture and winemaking in New Zealand and worked there a while before travelling the globe, rolling up his sleeves in vineyards and wineries in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, California and Argentina, and selling wine in London. His world tour equipped him with a formidable blend of skills: winemaking, viticulture, marketing and distribution.
Brendon left his job as winemaker in Argentina to return to South Australia, this time heading to the Adelaide Hills wine region with his wife Kirstyn. He was working for someone else but in 2007 he made his first two barrels of Pinot Noir – and BK Wines was born.
‘I want to make wines that people share with their friends and talk about – talk about the style, about where it comes from.’ - Brendon Keys
Natural and low-tech
Today BK Wines is a well-respected, boutique winery that’s making waves in Australia’s wine scene. Sourcing the best grapes is central to Brendon’s winemaking approach. He seeks out small vineyards tended by people as passionate about their craft as he is. Once he’s got the fruit, he handles it lightly in the winery, intervening where necessary but doing as little as possible to make sure the wine reflects the vineyard it came from. He believes each batch of grapes should be treated on its merits, so he works with what he’s got instead of forcing the wine to be something it’s not.
Never one to be predictable, Brendon doesn't focus on any particular grape variety. His wines range from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Savagnin (the relatively unknown variety in his ‘BK Skin-n-Bones White’) to Pinot Noir, Grenache and Syrah (Shiraz). One of his many popular drops is pétillant naturel Chardonnay: a sparkling wine made using rustic, all-natural methods.”
Wine made to enjoy
Brendon is driven by a desire to experiment and be creative – but only in the pursuit of making delicious wines. He’s not afraid to trial different wine making techniques to see what works best. And it’s an approach that’s working. Brendon’s been a winner and finalist in a bunch of wine making awards and his wines have won critical acclaim.
He’s been doing his own thing for over a decade now, but every year he learns more. More about the vineyards where he carefully sources his grapes and more about how to get something great into the bottle. In a competitive world he’s carved out a niche, creating interesting wines that are made to be enjoyed. Brendon knows that fine wine is a good thing, but fine wine with good people, good food and good tunes is so much better.
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