About Us

eilis-cryan-paul-culver-ashford

Kinnegar Wines was born almost by accident and been growing organically since.  In 1998, I was in the middle of a  two year diploma course with the London Wine & Spirits Trust when an opportunity came up to visit South Africa’s Western Cape.  I was naturally  keen to avail of the opportunity to learn more about viticulture and wine making in South Africa.

We had an excellent guide who brought us to a number of the Cape’s leading estates including Thelema and De Trafford where we had in depth vineyard and cellars tours. At the end of the day, I wanted to take back some of the wonderful wines we had tasted for our own use. It was not possible to take two or three cases of wine with us on our flight and shipping such a small quantity was more than the cost of wines.  So I had the mad idea of shipping a pallet! Clearly, I had to start selling these wines and so began Kinnegar Wines.  Ashford Castle took many of the wines and continue to list them and newer arrivals ever since.

 

That guide was one André Morganthal, a name now very familiar with the wine trade in South Africa. He has been involved in the wine business since 1995 in various guises, consultancy, educator, winemaker, writer. In 2001, he joined Wines of South Africa and was  their communications manager until 2016 when he resigned to take up a hugely exciting role in the Old Vine Project with the revered Rosa Kruger.

Since that life changing day in April 1998, our knowledge of the beautiful Cape, it’s history, it’s culture, it’s winemaking and it’s people grew. Our portfolio of producers has grown with the years. We are now very proud to have the widest selection of top Cape wines in Ireland with many of the world’s most exciting wines now coming from the Cape. The range extends from classic, long established estates to those of the New Wave young guys and gals who are really blazing a trail. The story contines and gets more exciting with each new harvest.

Many wine writers and MW’s including Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin now speak of South Africa’s Western Cape as being the most exciting wine producing region on the world at the moment. The story of Kinnegar Wines and Cape wine in Ireland continues and gets more exciting with each new vintage.

 

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Our list of Producers Continues to Grow

  • Alheit Wines
  • Black Pearl Wines
  • Botanica Wines
  • Buitenerwachting
  • David and Nadia
  • De Trafford Wines
  • Doran Vineyards
  • Hogan Wines
  • Kanu Wines
  • Lanzerac Wines
  • Lismore Wines
  • Momento Wines
  • Mullineux Wines
  • Paul Cluver Wines
  • Rall Wines
  • Richard Kershaw
  • Savage Wines
  • Sijnn Wines
  • Thelema Wines
  • Thorne andDaughters

Thank you for taking the time to read our story

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