humble beginnings

hi, my name is kathy, and I am the owner of Wonky Wines—aka, the witty wine wonk or katherine the grape! for those of you interested in how Wonky Wines came into being, here goes...

qualified in the financial services industry and sucked into the corporate rat race for many years, I decided to come home and play “mommy” to my two children. the plan, in addition to being fully present to my children, was to help my husband and my father in their business. little did I know that a very different plan was afoot!

one day my to-do list took me to the door of a very reasonably priced wine supplier—good news since it was seldom that we were able to afford the regular retail prices. delighted at my find, my dear husband, who cannot resist telling the world about a good deal, started sharing our new-found wine bargain with all our friends. it didn’t take long before my transition back to queen-of-home included being the designated wine picker-upper!

playing the mommy-game was great, except that my new role as the wine delivery lady had a few frustrations related to the house we’d bought a few years earlier. whenever it rained I had to navigate the muddy mess that was our unpaved driveway and non-existent garage. now let me tell you, carrying two little souls through the pouring cape rain to the car was a mini nightmare. being a problem-solver, I thought long and hard about the situation, and voila! it hit me. there I was, running around for everyone, at my expense. shouldn’t I be paid for my petrol, at the very least? so I talked to my husband, and well, he thought I was mad, shocked that I would even think of ripping off (as he put it) our friends.

my plan at that point was simple: charge enough to cover petrol expenses plus a little extra. my aim of course was to pave the driveway, but the idea kept growing…what if I started a little wine business? a little sceptical, my husband said we’d talk seriously if I sold 20 cases in the first month. the first month passed and I sold 200 cases. my husband laughed, chaulked it up to luck and said we’d talk after month two. well, as they say, the rest is history. at the end of the second month we submitted our liquor license application and in the third month the driveway was paved!

and so it was that on 1 august 2006 Wonky Wines was born. what a blast it’s been!