Mike Kreft

Mike's Story

My grandparents had a wine farm near Cape Town many years ago. I never had any intentions of making wine, until I bought Belfield in 2000 with my wife Mel. At that time the Elgin area was being touted as an exciting wine growing area. I fell for the propaganda !!

What do I consider important as a winemaker? Well, it all starts in the vineyard! It might sound trite, but we are able (because we are small and take great care in the vineyards) to present very sound grapes to the cellar, spending a lot of time on creating a narrow and sun friendly canopy. In other words, we do the basics well and we're always consistent and conscientious!

A few other Naked facts about Mike

• Mike and Mel received a silver Decanter medal for their Belfield Magnifica, well worth a try!
• They've also been awarded several stars by John Platter, South Africa's no.1 wine writer
• Other than the Elign region, Mike's favourite wine region would have to be Bordeaux and its antiquity!
• If Mike could invite anyone to a wine tasting at his vineyard, he would invite Robert Parker to see if he's 'as arrogant as he sounds!'
• His wife Mel would invite Beethoven to discuss the negative effects of drinking wine out of a lead chalice...
• If they weren't working in the wine industry, Mike and Mel would work in agriculture; so definite outdoor types!
• And finally, if Mike were to compare himself to a bottle of wine, he would be a cold climate Cabernet Sauvignon; rich but elegant, somewhat acidic, but not grumpy. Complex and appreciative of all aspects of life, wise, hopefully well balanced with a good dose of longevity!