The Merchant - Kym Kalleske

With the inaugural release of our 2009 Kalleske Merchant Cabernet Sauvignon we thought it was time to tell you about Kym John Kalleske. After all you have met most of the family by now – even Wilbur the pig!

Kym Kalleske

Kym is a farmer and grape grower through and through. Following on from Greenock Primary School and then Nuriootpa High School, Kym went straight onto the farm – just like our father and grandfather before him. Kym was born August 4th 1973 which is the same birth date as Tony but 3 years later - great timing M&D!

Kym is married to Amie and has two children, Hamish, 2 1/2 years, and Jade, 6 months. Hamish is already showing an interest in the farm, loving tractor rides with his Dad as well as getting his hands dirty out in the vineyard.

Hamish Kalleske - Taking a break from grape picking/eating

With Kym and Dad tending the vineyards it allows us to focus on the winemaking side, and it is nice to be able to reflect their efforts in the wines we make. As well as taking care of the vineyard, Kym also manages other enterprises on the farm including a commercial chaff mill, Wiltshire sheep, Angus cattle and a natural fertilizer business.

Apart from farming, Kym keeps himself busy with his motorbikes and buggies (yes both plural – Kym has a quad bike, a 2 wheeler dirt bike, a sidewinder go-kart and an off-road buggy!). But there is a slower side to him too; Kym loves his gardening with a diverse range of fruit trees, vegetables, ornamentals and natives encompassing their house.

Kym is also very handy at welding and woodworking and generally making or building almost anything – either for home or the farm. Basketball is Kym’s sport of choice (apart from V8 Supercars!), and he’s been part of a winning team, with the Vikings being the Barossa’s most successful team over the past decade.

Our new Cabernet, Merchant, is a tribute to both the first Kalleske merchant, Johann Georg as well as present day merchant, Kym. An early naming idea for this wine was “KJ” (Kym John) but the large US winery, Kendall Jackson (aka KJ), may have had something to say about that! Therefore Merchant it is.

Kym Kalleske - handpicking the 1875 Johann Georg Shiraz vineyard with his wife Amie and Mum Lorraine

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