Craven Pinot Gris 2023

Stellenbosch, South Africa 

100% Pinot Gris

“Pinot Gris isn’t exactly an abundant grape planted in Stellenbosch, but it is something we have a lot of fun working with. Although a lot of the wine drinking world think and assume it is a ‘white grape’, it is in fact a lovely coppery/dark rose skinned grape. With this being the case, we just can’t waste that colour and delicious flavour trapped in the skins, so we ferment this wine like a red. The 2023 vintage saw a significant change in vinification. This year it was fermented and aged 100% in concrete tanks. The grapes were destemmed into the concrete tanks and given a light pump over once a day for gentle extraction of the lovely rose-coloured hue and chalky tannin. 2023 had such nice, developed tannins that we found only 6 days on skins was sufficient to give ample texture to the wine. The wine was then drained and pressed into the concrete tanks for a further 6 months of elevage”

Craven Wines was founded in 2014 by Mick and Janine. They make honest, energetic, pure wines and source fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch. Originally from Australia, Mick met Jeanine whilst working in Sonoma, California, before both moving to South Africa in 2011. All fruit sourced now comes only from vineyards whose farmers are dedicated to working their land organically. Stellenbosch has diversity of sites and terroirs which means when farming well, there is a lot of site expression in the grapes and final wine. They work with farmers who understand the importance of cover crops and removing chemical treatments. The winemaking approach keeps things relatively simple; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents are added. Bottling is with minimal sulphur additions.