Ataraxia Wines
Kevin Grant's Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge estate with its chapel-like tasting room, producing benchmark Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a cool-climate red blend.
Ataraxia Wines was founded in 2004 by Kevin and Hanli Grant on the Skyfields Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Kevin spent a decade as head winemaker at Hamilton Russell from 1995 to 2004 before launching his own label, taking the philosophy of cool-climate Burgundian-styled winemaking with him. The estate occupies a 47-hectare property and is known for its iconic chapel-like tasting room, one of the most photographed cellar doors in the Cape. Ataraxia produces four wines: a Chardonnay that has become a Cape benchmark, a Pinot Noir, a Sauvignon Blanc largely sourced from cool Elgin fruit, and Serenity, a singular cool-climate red blend of Pinot Noir, Cinsaut and Pinotage. 'Ataraxia' is a Greek philosophical term meaning calm or untroubled, reflecting Kevin Grant's terroiriste approach.
- Founded in 2004 by Kevin and Hanli Grant, with a group of friends, on the 47-hectare Skyfields Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
- Kevin Grant spent 10 vintages as head winemaker at Hamilton Russell (1995 to 2004) before launching Ataraxia
- Cape Winemakers Guild member; widely regarded as a terroiriste who believes wine quality is determined in the vineyard rather than the cellar
- Iconic chapel-like tasting room is one of the most photographed cellar doors in the Cape; built to evoke a small whitewashed village chapel
- Estate produces only four wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Serenity (red blend)
- Ataraxia Chardonnay is barrel-fermented and has regularly topped South African Chardonnay tastings; widely considered a Cape benchmark
- Sauvignon Blanc is primarily sourced from the cool coastal Elgin ward, lending the wine its characteristic herbal and citrus profile
- Serenity is a cool-climate red blend of Pinot Noir, Cinsaut and Pinotage (currently 25/25/50 in Kevin's published intent), an unusual three-way combination
Founding 2004
Ataraxia Wines was founded in 2004 when Kevin and Hanli Grant, together with a small group of friends, acquired the 47-hectare Skyfields Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward. Kevin had spent 10 vintages as head winemaker at Hamilton Russell from 1995 to 2004, working closely with Anthony Hamilton Russell on the estate's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay programmes. The name 'Ataraxia' is a Greek philosophical term meaning a state of calm, untroubled clarity, and it reflects Kevin's measured, terroiriste approach to winemaking. The Skyfields Farm sits at high elevation in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, the highest and most elevated of the Hemel-en-Aarde's three wards, and the cool maritime climate and ancient Bokkeveld shale soils suited Kevin's ambitions for cool-climate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a deliberately cool-climate red blend.
- Ataraxia founded 2004; Kevin and Hanli Grant with friends acquired the 47-hectare Skyfields Farm
- Kevin Grant spent 10 vintages as head winemaker at Hamilton Russell (1995 to 2004) before launching Ataraxia
- 'Ataraxia' is a Greek term meaning a state of calm, untroubled clarity
- Skyfields Farm sits in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, the highest and most elevated of the three Hemel-en-Aarde wards
Kevin Grant Background
Kevin Grant was born in Blantyre, Malawi, and graduated with a BSc honours degree in zoology from the University of Pretoria. He completed a Cellar Technology diploma at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 1990, graduating as Dux Student. After early winemaking roles in the Cape, he joined Hamilton Russell as head winemaker in 1995 and spent 10 vintages there, working with Anthony Hamilton Russell on the estate's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay programmes during a period that helped establish the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley as South Africa's premier cool-climate appellation. Kevin is a Cape Winemakers Guild member, a Master of the SA Sommeliers Association and a self-described terroiriste who believes the quality of a wine is determined long before it reaches the cellar.
- Cellar Technology diploma from Elsenburg Agricultural College (1990); Dux Student
- 10 vintages as head winemaker at Hamilton Russell (1995 to 2004) before founding Ataraxia
- Cape Winemakers Guild member; self-described terroiriste
- Believes wine quality is determined in the vineyard, not the cellar
The Chapel-Like Tasting Room
Ataraxia's tasting room is one of the most photographed cellar doors in the Cape and a key part of the estate's identity. Built to evoke a small whitewashed village chapel, the structure sits on the high ridge of the property with panoramic views across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to Walker Bay. The simplicity and serenity of the space mirror the philosophical underpinning of the Ataraxia name and the wines themselves: calm, untroubled and considered. The tasting room has become a wine-tourism fixture for visitors to Hermanus and the Hemel-en-Aarde, with the Serenity red blend taking its name from the same chapel-inspired ethos.
- Built to evoke a small whitewashed village chapel; one of the most photographed cellar doors in the Cape
- Panoramic views across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to Walker Bay
- Mirrors the philosophical underpinning of the Ataraxia name and wines
- Serenity red blend takes its name from the same chapel-inspired ethos
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the cornerstone of the Ataraxia cellar and the wine Kevin Grant is most widely associated with. The wine is 100 percent barrel-fermented, with a deliberate hand on new oak and an emphasis on natural acidity, mineral character and length over weight or richness. Sourced primarily from cool-climate fruit in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and surrounding areas, the Ataraxia Chardonnay has regularly topped South African Chardonnay tastings and is widely considered a Cape benchmark. The style is Burgundian in inspiration but distinctly Hemel-en-Aarde in character, with the elevated Ridge mesoclimate producing a tighter, more linear wine than the Chardonnays of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley below.
- 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay; restrained hand on new oak
- Sourced primarily from cool-climate Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge fruit
- Regularly tops South African Chardonnay tastings; widely considered a Cape benchmark
- Style: Burgundian inspiration with the elevated Ridge mesoclimate's tighter, more linear character
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Ataraxia Pinot Noir is sourced from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and shows the elevated character of the ward: lifted aromatic perfume, red cherry and raspberry fruit, savoury herb and a fine-grained tannin spine. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and aged in French oak barriques with restrained new wood. The style is consistent with Kevin Grant's broader cool-climate philosophy: structured, transparent to terroir and built for medium-term ageing rather than immediate gratification. The Pinot Noir is produced in small quantities and is regarded as one of the more aromatic, lifted Pinot Noirs in the Hemel-en-Aarde.
- Sourced from the elevated Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge ward
- Lifted aromatic perfume; red cherry, raspberry, savoury herb
- Native yeast fermentation; French oak ageing with restrained new wood
- Among the more aromatic, lifted Pinot Noirs in the Hemel-en-Aarde
Sauvignon Blanc and Serenity
Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc is primarily sourced from the coastal Elgin ward rather than the estate's Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge property, and shows the characteristic Elgin profile of herbal aromatics, citrus and bright acidity. Kevin Grant has been deliberate about this choice, believing Elgin produces South Africa's most expressive cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc. Serenity, the estate's red blend, is one of the more unusual wines in the Cape: a deliberate three-way blend of Pinot Noir, Cinsaut and Pinotage, with Kevin's stated intent of roughly 25 percent Pinot Noir, 25 percent Cinsaut and 50 percent cool-climate Pinotage. The wine is conceived as a serious cool-climate red blend that nods to all three of the Cape's red wine traditions: Burgundian (Pinot Noir), Mediterranean (Cinsaut) and South African (Pinotage). The 'Serenity' name comes from the chapel-inspired tasting room and reflects the wine's balanced, considered identity.
- Sauvignon Blanc primarily sourced from the cool coastal Elgin ward; herbal aromatics, citrus, bright acidity
- Serenity: a three-way cool-climate red blend of Pinot Noir, Cinsaut and Pinotage
- Kevin Grant's stated blend intent: roughly 25% Pinot Noir, 25% Cinsaut, 50% cool-climate Pinotage
- Conceived as a serious cool-climate red blend nodding to Burgundian, Mediterranean and South African traditions
Ataraxia Chardonnay leads with citrus, white peach, oatmeal and a long mineral finish, the elevated Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge mesoclimate producing a tighter, more linear wine than valley-floor Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir is among the more aromatically lifted in the Hemel-en-Aarde, with red cherry, raspberry, savoury herb and a fine-grained tannin spine. The Sauvignon Blanc, primarily from Elgin, offers herbal lift, citrus and bright acidity. Serenity is the most singular wine in the cellar, a cool-climate red blend of Pinot Noir, Cinsaut and Pinotage that brings red cherry, dried herb, earthy spice and a savoury, almost Mediterranean character.
- Founded 2004 by Kevin and Hanli Grant on the 47-hectare Skyfields Farm in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge; Kevin previously head winemaker at Hamilton Russell for 10 vintages (1995 to 2004)
- Iconic chapel-like tasting room; one of the most photographed cellar doors in the Cape
- Four wines: Chardonnay (cellar flagship, 100% barrel-fermented, Cape benchmark), Pinot Noir (Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge), Sauvignon Blanc (sourced primarily from Elgin), Serenity (red blend)
- Serenity is a three-way cool-climate red blend; Kevin's stated intent: 25% Pinot Noir, 25% Cinsaut, 50% cool-climate Pinotage
- Kevin Grant: Cape Winemakers Guild member, terroiriste; 'Ataraxia' is a Greek philosophical term meaning calm, untroubled clarity