Antoine Kaufmann
The passionate winemaker
Antoine grew up in the town of Biel-Benken, near Aesch. After his apprenticeship years in Neuchâtel and Sion, he had the urge to go to the South and farther abroad to widen his “wine horizon”.
Antoine travelled and worked in wine growing areas like Veneto in Italy, at Napa Valley in the U.S.A., at Haut-Médoc in France and in Victoria, Australia amassing wine making and viticulture knowledge along the way.
At the beginning of the 90s he earned his Degree in Oenology and Viticulture at the Polytechnic of Changins in Switzerland. He eventually moved to Provence which was his home for 20 years working as head of the Delinat Group’s organic winery, the Chateau Duvivier. During this time, he and his wife Irene rebuilt a previously neglected vineyard in Cotignac and gave it a second lease in life.
In 2014 new challenges were tugging and Antoine heeded the call. Many options were open but tackling a new start in his provenance had the strongest appeal. After 32 years of winemaking experience he is now back in his hometown.
Irene Kaufmann
Irene grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia. The idea of discovering the world tickled her thoughts at a very young age and to follow up on this dream she eventually worked as a stewardess for Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific travelling the world for 8 years.
She then worked as an assistant securities trader in Hong Kong and in this melting pot of culture she became a wine connoisseur.
Eager to broaden her horizon in wines, she attended the renowned Sommelier training in the Rhône Valley at the Université du Vin in Suze-la-Rousse in 1997 where she met her husband, Antoine Kaufmann.
The two well-travelled individuals from two different continents made their home in a paradise-like but remote corner of Provence.
After 18 years in the beautiful Provence, Irene is happy to immerse herself in a new culture. Having lived in two continents that moulded her rich sense of the orient and the west, she naturally brings with her this unique style to KLUS 177, her new home.
She looks forward to welcoming you at the Klus with her very elementary Hochdeutsch, but fluent Cantonese, English and French.
Lukas Vögele
winemaker
Lukas Vögele was born in Bad Boll near Stuttgart in Germany. He grew up in a most natural backdrop in the midst of the sprawling Schwäbisch Mountain Ranges and its spring water.
Upon completing his Abitur, he worked at Wiengut Wittman. Here he encountered quality wine for the first time which solidified his interest in good organic wine and its industry.
He subsequently moved to sunny Provence where he met Antoine and Irene Kaufmann at Chateau Duvivier. After a six-month stint in Sales and Wine Tastings at Bernd Kreis in Stuttgart he began to study Viticulture and Oenology in Geisenheim.
During his studies he would disappear for weeks on end every year in the cellar of the highly esteemed Olivier Pithon in the small town of Calce in Roussillon, in the sunny south of France. Calce is the French stronghold of Biodynamic Viticulture.
In 2016 after completing his studies in Geisenheim he worked for half a year in the Austrian Langenlois with Stefanie and Alwin Jurtschitsch, until he received a call from Thomas Teibert from Calce to work at the Domaine de l'Horizon.
In April 2018, he happily took up the offer of his old acquaintance Antoine Kaufmann.
Though a light traveller, Lukas brings along all his Bio-dynamic’s experience, determination, motivation and passion for the nature to make the finest wines at KLUS 177.
Olha Nikolaichuk
Our event and house-keeping fairy
Olha fled Ukraine during the war in February 2022. While studying to become a kindergarten teacher, she moonlighted as a waitress in a restaurant. After a few months of experience, she was promoted to a managerial post. It was from this very first job that she discovered her passion in the gastronomy sector, gaining enormous experience in different establishments, from café, restaurant to beer garden.
Olha is grateful to be in Basel, her adopted home which welcomed her in time of need. Though not knowing any German but with reasonable English, Olha was determined to integrate herself to the local society, enrolled in German classes and joined the workforce in a sector which Switzerland is so lack of. Olha has been of great help to all our events and housekeeping since August 2022. Despite all that is happening in her far-away home, Olha greets all our guests with a positive attitude and an infectious smile.
