Cinsault

Beef, Lamb, Pork, Vegetarian, Poultry

From 2017 we were lucky enough to be shown some fruit from a farm we have always wanted to make wine from, named Rustenhof. This great farm in the Faure area that has an abundance of lovely Cinsaut, amongst many other varieties. This dryland, bush-vine block, planted in granite and sand, suits our style very well and is a pleasure to work with.

After the fermentation on skins is complete we drain and press to the concrete tanks for 6 months of elevage before bottling.

Uniquely to our usual red winemaking style, we destem our Cinsaut before fermentation. We find that Cinsaut has a lower acidity than Pinot noir and Syrah, so we like to capture the little acidity that it has (whole bunch ferments tend to reduce acidity). Much like our Pinot Gris, the 2023 rendition of the Cinsaut has moved to 100% concrete for fermentation and ageing. We like to capture the fresher, brighter characters of Cinsaut and we find the use of concrete helps us preserve the bright fruit and energy of the wine.

Craven Wines is a Stellenbosch producer founded by Mick and Jeanine Craven in 2012, focused on exploring distinctive single-vineyard sites across the region. With attentive, low-intervention winemaking, the range highlights individual varieties and vineyards through pure, site-driven South African wines.