The Liberator

The Liberator is the project – and pseudonym – of wine industry veteran Richard Kelley MW, a long-time champion of South African wine who, over the course of a number of years spent in the Cape, formed strong relationships with a whole host of producers. On his regular return visits, he was often struck by the number of wines he came across in favourite producers’ cellars that were consigned for blending or being sold in bulk – experimental projects, or off-cuts from a top-end release, perhaps. Richard set himself up as ‘The Liberator’ to find a home for what he felt were particularly compelling, often smallscale, charcterful wines, most of which come with an interesting backstory. There’s no set style, make-up, price point or quantity – just a range of fun, sometimes quirky releases that come and go at the behest of The Liberator.