The BK Wines Story
"BK Wines was established in 2007 by Brendon and Kirstyn Keys. The goal has been to create fabulous art. Beautiful, unique, sensuous, deceptively minimalist, envelope-pushing art. After learning from masters in NZ, Argentina and California, we trained our sites on the Adelaide Hills because it’s just a cracking great place to live and make wine. With no pretentions to be somewhere it’s not and few preconceived notions about what wine styles to expect, this is a place where non-conformity is the rule. Our little winery is situated in the Hills where it is tucked away surrounded by bush land.
Brendon’s greatest strengths as a winemaker are his passion for artistic expression and his uncompromising quest for high-quality fruit. When it comes to the process of winemaking, Brendon’s goal, first and foremost, is to source exceptional small vineyards producing grapes that reflect the individuality of a particular site. As a winemaker he uses a minimalist approach to gently guide well-chosen fruit to a beautiful final result in the bottle. This combination of an artistic soul and unyielding quality standards makes Brendon a recognised master of his craft.
But hey, if you really want to know about us. Grab a bottle of BK that peaks your interest, crank up something you love to hear, pour a few glasses and spend time with people who make you smile and think." - BK Wines
Latest Releases
2025 “Oishi’ Pinot Grigio
It’s morning, early in summer, fresh and crisp with the memory springtime. The fog that rolled in from the sea overnight coils through gullies and lifts to the tops of the hills, blowing away in feathery, ethereal wisps. Oishi Pinot Gris is a time and a place. It’s an easy, refreshing morning walk to the cliffs to gaze at the horizon beyond the vibrant waves, biting into the smooth skin of a juicy, nashi pear and pondering the day ahead. The breeze is velvety and filled with mountain aromas of juniper berries and spice. It promises to be a gentle day.
2025 ’Saignee’ Pinot Noir Rose
A midday Aperol by the pool leads to a luxurious meander on the hot sand to a long table and an even longer lunch. Rich, plummy, salivating flavours and textures – a meal that is heavy on spice and structure. A flaming orange sunset draws you closer to the cool of the night to come. Saignée has the powerful vibe of summer’s longest, most decadent days. Incredibly delicious and – uncommon for a rosé – capable of aging as gracefully as a beautiful memory.
2024 Carte Blanche Chardonnay
There’s a warmth to this one that feels like walking into a kitchen where something’s been baking for hours. First hit? Quince and sourdough starter – complex, alive. Then, a full-body hug of baked rhubarb crumble. Juicy in all the right places – nectarine, guava—like biting into something you should probably share (but may decide not to). Lifted, floral, super accessible. On the palate, sweet-pickled ginger, a lemongrass spiciness to keep you guessing and the umami of oyster shells. You’ll want cheese. (Soft-rind.) There’s something indulgent about this wine but nothing precious as it overdelivers in the best way. Can be enjoyed now but time will deepen an already compelling story.
2024 Ego is the Enemy Pinot Gris
Kicking off with the warm seduction of shortbread cookies – the result of lees contact – the deeper story of Ego’s 2024 vintage starts to reveal itself. A small crop picked on two different days to maximise sunshine and ripeness in this challenging season followed by time rolling gently in a concrete, egg-shaped fermenter gives aromas of pear drops, confectionery, and sherbert atop honeycomb wax and sundried orange slices. On the palate there’s the refreshing ambiance of gin and pink grapefruit with a sprinkle of black pepper. Built for age and evolution. Pinot Gris is a quiet achiever that doesn’t always get the credit it deserves, but this one says enough to set the record straight.
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published on 2 June 2025
'It opens with the lustre of confected pear and baked apple, with nutmeg sprinkled on top. A very pretty and grounding sweet shortcrust pastry element greets the sweetness and ripeness of fruit. This wine embodies the glory of gris. Spicy and textural, yet with the fleshy acidity of pink grapefruit; there is supreme balance and freshness here. This is not your backup bottle, it's the main event.'
94 Silver
2024 Skin-n-Bones Pinot Noir
Where vintage 2023 was a cool, lengthy, worrisome affair, vintage 2024 moved reassuringly quickly. Pre-harvest warmth is reflected in the intensity and generosity of all of the wines the season produced, and none more so than Skin-n-Bones Pinot Noir. Exceptional colour and palate weight balanced with herbaceous notes of thyme and mint. Currently giving shades of a dark-eyed, brooding teen, as this wine matures further it promises to develop an even more complex personality. You’ll definitely be needing some for today and some for the cellar. Four Pinot Noir clones (predominantly MV6), 30 days on skins, 10% new French oak for 10 months.
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published on 23 June 2025
'The concentration in this wine is pure delight! Ripples of flavour and gastronomic aromas. It's all earth and a bench full of market-fresh produce – pomegranate, thyme, punchy red cherry, some interesting vegetal, herbal salt characters, lively beetroot and roast parsnip. On the palate it unveils more of its foraged treasures – field mushrooms and spices in its back pocket. A drink for now and next.'
94 Silver
2024 Amphora
Who knew that you could taste a shape? If you don’t believe it, Amphora may well convince you. This Syrah/Gamay blend has the tear-drop structural contours of the amphora it is fermented in, with a rounded, juicy entrée tapering to a tight finish. You can practically smell the deep, red earth along with red-whip liquorice and toasted coconut. The palate is peppered meats and sweet fruit with a BK signature of Campari bitters. Serious and well balanced, this is one for genuine contemplation. 70% Syrah from Murdoch Hill and 30% Gamay from Brackenwood. 100% whole bunch co-fermented 15 days then pressed to clay amphora for 10 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published on 23 June 2025
'A slurpy little blend of 70/30% amphora-aged syrah/gamay here. It's playful and upbeat, perfect for sipping and swilling, with blue fruits and spice. Blueberry, blackberry and homemade raspberry fruit leather with an umami postlude of pepper-crusted meats. It tastes slightly ferrous, and the texture seems porous, with cavities in which the acidity and brightness fluctuate in and out. Cold day, fire on, good tunes and this. Yes please.'
94 Silver
2024 Skin-n-Bones Savagnin
Our Skin-n-Bones Savagnin is a bit like what might happen if Jura took an educational tour of Burgundy. Where Jura Savagnin can be delightfully rustic and sherried by reduction, this iteration is far finer and more elegant. Saline and umami on the nose, like aged and crystallised parmesan. Mouth-watering on the palate with flavours of aromatic Fuji appples, sweet ‘lemon’ cucumbers, and an unexpected honeysuckle note. Incredible length. A holiday to the banks of the Saône well spent.
Halliday Wine Companion review by Katrina Butler
Published on 2 June 2025
'Brendon Keys understands what savagnin needs. Here, he has captured the briny, fruit-forward and sea-spray qualities of the variety, retaining floral freshness (a nod to the 'ouillé' styles of the Jura). Repercussive length, which in turn brings forth notes of apple, dill and cucumber. It has a slightly slippery, granular texture with an amino acid crystal quality, similar to that found in hard cheese, with umami and mushroom broth undertones. It appreciates some air. Let it breathe. And then make a stuffed baguette its friend.'
95 Gold
(Image: BK Wines / www.bkwines.com.au)