Meet Kelvin Feku
The story of Kelvin Feku’s extraordinary journey—from the violence and economic collapse of Zimbabwe to the cellars of Natte Valleij in Stellenbosch—reads more like a Hollywood script than an assistant winemaker’s bio. Under the mentorship of owner/winemaker Alex Milner, Kelvin’s talent, creativity, and quiet perseverance have taken root, propelling him to recognition as one of the wine world’s most promising rising stars.
His first release under his own name, Kelvin Feku Grenache Noir 2022, is as vibrant and captivating as the winemaker himself. Sourced from dry-farmed Grenache vines in Wellington, a region known for unrelenting heat and bone-dry summers, the grapes are the product of struggle and depth. With no supplemental irrigation, the vines are forced to drive their roots deep into the Malmesbury shale and Glenrosa soils, building resilience, lowering yields, and imprinting an indelible spirit and sense of place on the fruit.
The result, in Kelvin’s hands, is a wine of striking authenticity and nuance—brimming with mineral tension and layered complexity. High notes of raspberry and cherry mingle with earthy plum, rooibos, and smoky tobacco, while a delicate salinity and graceful body carry the story from earth to sky. With its ravishing hues and lifted aromatics, this is a wine that speaks—quietly but powerfully—of roots, resilience, and the beauty that can emerge from hardship.
Natte Valleij Wines
Nestled on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg mountains just outside Stellenbosch, Natte Valleij has a rich heritage—from its founding as a winefarm in 1715, to its reinvention in 1969 by famed English horseracer/breeder Sir George Edward Mordaunt Milner, 9th Baronet, to its 2005 restoration as a vineyard and winery by Milner’s grandson Alex Milner.
Alex’s approach is deeply rooted in minimal intervention. He's got a pension for dry farmed vines, hand‑harvesting, minimalist pressing and natural fermentation - integral elements in a strategy to coax the best quality and expression out of both vine and grape. We could expound on the winery, the winemaker, or gush about OMG they use a little basket press! but trust me, we found an article that’s better. In fact, we promise it’ll be the best thing you’ve read about winemakers/wineries in a long time, maybe ever.
WORTH THE READ:
Tamlyn Currin’s Article on Natte Valleij - One of the most fascinating articles about a winemaker, winery and wine we’ve read in a long time.
https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/natte-valleij-axle-chenin-blanc-2024-darling
