Kevin Grant, a South African winemaker with family roots in Scotland, is coming to Glasgow for a one-night-only dinner at Ka Pao next month.
On Wednesday 10 June, Grant, founder of Ataraxia Wines, will host a paired dinner at the West End restaurant, featuring a 12-dish sharing menu alongside five matched wines from the acclaimed South African estate.
Guests will enjoy dishes including white crab with calamansi and coconut shrimp crackers, hand-dived scallop with red nam jim, cured Gigha halibut, chuu chee curry of mackerel and hot pepper short rib curry, paired with wines including Skin Contact Chardonnay, Marroquin Cinsault and Earthborn Pinot Noir.
Grant, whose maternal grandfather was born in Glasgow and grandmother in Edinburgh, said he was looking forward to returning to the city.
“I’ve visited Glasgow a few times and have always enjoyed it,” he said.
“What stands out for me is the strength of Scotland’s food scene. There’s a lot of good, serious cooking, but it doesn’t feel overly formal.
“There’s a strong sense of independence and creativity, and people seem open to new ideas around food and wine.”
Produced in South Africa’s Hemel-en-Aarde region, Ataraxia’s wines are known for their ‘freshness, restraint and cool-climate style’.
Grant said: “Ataraxia wines are about balance, freshness, and expressing place. The vineyards sit on a cool ridge in the Hemel-en-Aarde, and the wines tend to reflect that – they are more about finesse and texture than power or weight.”
He added that Ka Pao’s bold Southeast Asian flavours make the restaurant a natural fit for the wines.
“The combination of spice, acidity, and umami creates good opportunities for pairing without either the food or wine dominating.”
General manager at Ka Pao Glasgow, Megan Donnelly, said: “This might be our most ambitious Ka Pao feast to date: exclusive pairings and some genuinely special produce. I think Ashley and Kevin have created something that feels generous, exciting and more than a little indulgent.
“Events like this are a rare chance to experience Ka Pao in a completely different way, more like a banquet than a dinner service, and to spend the evening hearing directly from a winemaker as passionate and hands-on as Kevin.”
The event takes place from 7pm on Wednesday 10 June at Ka Pao Glasgow, downstairs at Botanic Gardens Garage on Vinicombe Street.
