About

Yo El Rey means "I, the King", and was inspired by a young Pablo Picasso who signed an early self-portrait with this tagline. It's become a mantra that has propelled this wild idea to make and produce wine, and it is a compelling reminder to always believe in both oneself and one's dreams.​

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The idea for making wine in South Africa was inspired by my time spent in California in 2016 working harvest, where many winemakers don't own their own vineyards, but rather buy fruit from farmers and produce their wines in shared cellar spaces. The first bottling of Yo El Rey happened in 2018, and was a mere 1700 bottles of a Syrah & Grenache Noir blend. Today, I produce around 7000 bottles of wine, across a few different cuvées made from fruit sourced from around the Cape.​

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My aim is to support small, organic grape growers in their farming efforts, and produce wines in a low intervention way that have energy and brightness to them.