Craven Wines

Jeanine and Mick Craven started Craven wines with their release of a 2012 Pinot Noir, a wine that stood out for two reasons. Firstly, it was a seriously drinkable red, but distinctly weightier in style than many other Pinots, making it good fun to put in a blind tasting line-up. Secondly, it was made from Stellenbosch fruit, which is rather unusual for younger, independent winemakers doing their own 
thing.

Stellenbosch grapes fetch a premium and, this aside, the new wave of wine-makers are consistently drawn to the fresh energy of the Swartland rather than the storied history of Stellenbosch.It was a notable release and quickly gained 
attention, selling out fast. The subsequent vintage, this time notably more Pinot-like in character, was accompanied by a bottling of straight Clairette Blanche, an underdog white grape hardly embraced within the industry. 

Working with an unusual varietal like this, with a portion of it fermented on the skins in “orange wine” style, was a clear sign the couple were going to make risky, individual wines of character rather than chase the market. Theirs is a refreshing approach to starting a label, albeit less safe.

Fortunately the pair each have full-time employment at other wineries, circumstances that allow them to work with a broader spectrum of wines while they slowly grow the Craven label. And they’re firmly set on Stellenbosch as their home, as they explain: “We are basically just trying to make honest  wines from unique and great sites in Stellenbosch.” 

For them this means a hands-off winemaking style with no additions apart from SO². Crafting site specific wines that are first and foremost highly drinkable, something that comes up a lot in conversation with these two. “Nothing worse than a wine where one glass of it is enough,” adds Mick. The natural approach in the cellar is clearly shaped by their experience at revered wineries around the world like Wind Gap, Domaine Dujac, Torbreck and Chapoutier.  

South African Jeanine first met Australian Mick in 2007 while both were working at separate wineries in California, and they married a year ago in the Cape. While family wineries are common, a husband and wife team sharing responsibility in the cellar isn’t, but they enjoy the partnership. And Mick is happy based here, saying the wine industries in both countries are in a similar position. “It’s not much different. The commercial wineries are doing the same things and the smaller guys there are also starting to push the boundaries.

Exciting times for both countries.” He’s excited about the potential for smaller 
independent wineries in Stellenbosch: “It is a great region with a very diverse terroir if you take the time to have a look around. It’s a gold mine for doing what we do.”  In addition to the new vintages of Craven Clairette Blanche and Pinot Noir this year are a Pinot Gris and a Syrah. Again, not cookie-cutter-style wines but distinctive and unique: the Pinot Gris gets the skin contact treatment and the Syrah is a leaner style, the grapes picked earlier to enhance acidity and freshness. In other words, drinkability. 

For them one of the most misunderstood things about wine is that bigger doesn’t always equal better. It goes against the grain in SA, where hefty Cabernet-driven blends and ripe Syrah have historically won awards and demand higher prices, but the fact that Craven wines garner such attention and sell out fast means things have definitely changed. cravenwines.com