Craven Pinot Gris

Mick Craven has been a friend of Uncharted for some time and we are delighted to sell his wines in the UK. Mick and his wife Jeanine started Craven Wines in 2014, sourcing fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch and making “site-specific, honest wines”. Originally from Australia Mick met Jeanine whilst working in Sonoma, California, before both moving to South Africa in 2011. 

Stellenbosch has an array of different sites and terroirs allowing Mick to “let the grapes do the talking…” The Cravens are working increasingly with farmers who are understanding the importance of cover crops and removing chemical treatments.

In terms of winemaking approach things are kept relatively simple; no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents are added. Juice is pressed into old oak barrels and minimal additions of sulphur are used at bottling. 

Grapes are fermented like a red wine to preserve the colour and flavour trapped in the skins. Fully destemmed and fermented in open top fermenters with 6 days on the skins.

Pinot Gris is rare in Stellenbosch. The fruit comes from the Newlands Farm planted on granite and sand with chunks of ‘koffieflip’.