There’s a particular kind of winemaker who doesn’t need to shout about their philosophy; they simply let each bottle speak for itself. Mick and Jeanine Craven are exactly those kinds of winemakers.
With the release of their 2025 vintage, the husband-and-wife team behind Craven Wines have quietly but decisively cemented their place among South Africa’s most thoughtful producers.
All of the 2025 wines are entirely oak-free, matured almost exclusively in concrete. It’s a bold, deliberate move—one that reflects a deepening understanding of Stellenbosch’s terroir and a commitment to letting it show, unmasked.
This year’s release comprises six single-vineyard wines, each a clear expression of site, variety, and intent. It’s a lineup that proves that with the right vineyards and a considered approach, something truly special can emerge.
At the centre of it all is The Firs Vineyard Syrah 2025.
Reviewed by Christian Eedes on 13 March, it was awarded 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date. As he notes, “everything comes together beautifully in this vintage.”
The wine is both detailed and composed: violets, lavender, and fynbos layered with black berries and pepper. The palate is dense yet precise, with fresh acidity and fine, powdery tannins leading to a dry, focused finish. Whole-bunch fermented and matured for 10 months in concrete, it sits at just 13.34% alcohol; restrained, yet intensely expressive. Devon Valley Syrah at its most compelling.
This year’s release comprises six single-vineyard wines, each a clear expression of site, variety, and intent. It’s a lineup that proves that with the right vineyards and a considered approach, something truly special can emerge.
At the centre of it all is The Firs Vineyard Syrah 2025.
Reviewed by Christian Eedes on 13 March, it was awarded 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date. As he notes, “everything comes together beautifully in this vintage.”
The rest of the range continues this clear, site-driven approach:
Chardonnay 2025 (Polkadraai Hills) — pear and citrus with bright, vivacious acidity. Eight months in concrete brings clarity and lift, finishing savoury and precise at just 11.88% alcohol.
Karibib Chenin Blanc 2025 — from 1981 vines, showing quince, peach, and yellow apple with subtle earthy depth. Textured, balanced, and quietly complex.
Grenache 2025 (94 points) — the second vintage from Vlottenburg, showing notable refinement. Floral, spiced, and tightly structured with grip and length.
Pinot Gris 2025 — six days on skins, offering strawberry, pomegranate, and spice. Vibrant, textured, and finished with a gentle saline edge.
Cinsaut 2025 (Firgrove) — perfumed and approachable, with cherry fruit, bright acidity, and soft, powdery tannins.
Jeanine notes that 2025 is defined by low pH, bright acidity, and exceptional balance. It’s a vintage that doesn’t demand attention—but rewards those who give it.
While Eedes suggests the wines may not universally surpass previous vintages (with the notable exception of the Syrah), they continue to embody the purity and charm that define Craven Wines.
That, ultimately, is the point. No hype, no excess, just wines that taste like where they come from.
Over the past year, the Cravens have completed their transition to fully concrete-based winemaking, a shift that began with the 2024 vintage and is now fully realised. The result is a range of small-batch, site-specific wines that speak clearly of Stellenbosch’s coastal influence, without interference.
In a wine world often dominated by uniformity and polish, Craven stands apart. These are wines that don’t try to be everything. They simply taste like somewhere, and that somewhere is some of Stellenbosch’s most compelling vineyard sites.
Craven Chardonnay 2025 from Polkadraai Hills is all pear, citrus, and vivacious acidity. Eight months in concrete yields good clarity and flavour intensity without excess. At just 11.88% alcohol, it’s elegant, precise, and gently savoury on the finish.
Karibib Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2025 comes from a 1981 planting in Polkadraai Hills. Quince, peach, yellow apple, a faint earthy note. Good weight and texture, well-integrated acidity, a pleasing piquancy on the finish. Nine months in concrete. 12.64% alcohol.
Craven Pinot Gris 2025 underwent six days of skin contact and six months in concrete. Strawberry, red apple, pomegranate, potpourri, spice. Concentrated fruit, lively acidity, a slightly pithy, saline finish. Vivid and full of flavour at 12% alcohol.
Craven Grenache 2025 (94 points CE) is the second vintage from a Vlottenburg vineyard planted in 2016. Flowers, herbs, red and black berries, white pepper. Punchy acidity, grippy tannins, poised and detailed, tightly wound, long on the finish. Eedes calls it “a marked step up on the maiden 2024.” Eight months in concrete. 12.25% alcohol.
Craven Cinsaut 2025 from Firgrove is all floral perfume and cherry on the nose, juicy and rounded on the palate with bright acidity and powdery tannins. Six months in concrete. Plenty of open, easy charm at 12.01% alcohol.
Let’s start with Christian Eedes when he reviewed these wines on 13 March with The Firs Syrah 2025. “Everything comes together beautifully in this vintage” Eedes wrote, awarding it 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date.
Violets, lavender, a whisper of fynbos, black berries, and pepper on the nose. Dense fruit, fresh acidity, powdery tannins packed tight. Succulent, vital, emphatically dry on the finish. It’s 100% whole-bunch fermented in stainless steel, then matured for 10 months in concrete tanks. At 13.34% alcohol, it’s restrained but brimming with intensity. This is Devon Valley Syrah at its most compelling—precision married to serious concentration.
Craven Wines 2025 are Crazy Good
There’s a particular kind of winemaker who doesn’t need to shout about their philosophy; they simply let each bottle speak for itself. Mick and Jeanine Craven are exactly those kinds of winemakers.
With the release of their 2025 vintage, the husband-and-wife team behind Craven Wines have quietly but decisively cemented their place among South Africa’s most thoughtful producers.
All of the 2025 wines are entirely oak-free, matured almost exclusively in concrete. It’s a bold, deliberate move—one that reflects a deepening understanding of Stellenbosch’s terroir and a commitment to letting it show, unmasked.
This year’s release comprises six single-vineyard wines, each a clear expression of site, variety, and intent. It’s a lineup that proves that with the right vineyards and a considered approach, something truly special can emerge.
At the centre of it all is The Firs Vineyard Syrah 2025.
Reviewed by Christian Eedes on 13 March, it was awarded 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date. As he notes, “everything comes together beautifully in this vintage.”
The wine is both detailed and composed: violets, lavender, and fynbos layered with black berries and pepper. The palate is dense yet precise, with fresh acidity and fine, powdery tannins leading to a dry, focused finish. Whole-bunch fermented and matured for 10 months in concrete, it sits at just 13.34% alcohol; restrained, yet intensely expressive. Devon Valley Syrah at its most compelling.
This year’s release comprises six single-vineyard wines, each a clear expression of site, variety, and intent. It’s a lineup that proves that with the right vineyards and a considered approach, something truly special can emerge.
At the centre of it all is The Firs Vineyard Syrah 2025.
Reviewed by Christian Eedes on 13 March, it was awarded 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date. As he notes, “everything comes together beautifully in this vintage.”
The rest of the range continues this clear, site-driven approach:
Jeanine notes that 2025 is defined by low pH, bright acidity, and exceptional balance. It’s a vintage that doesn’t demand attention—but rewards those who give it.
While Eedes suggests the wines may not universally surpass previous vintages (with the notable exception of the Syrah), they continue to embody the purity and charm that define Craven Wines.
That, ultimately, is the point. No hype, no excess, just wines that taste like where they come from.
Over the past year, the Cravens have completed their transition to fully concrete-based winemaking, a shift that began with the 2024 vintage and is now fully realised. The result is a range of small-batch, site-specific wines that speak clearly of Stellenbosch’s coastal influence, without interference.
In a wine world often dominated by uniformity and polish, Craven stands apart. These are wines that don’t try to be everything. They simply taste like somewhere, and that somewhere is some of Stellenbosch’s most compelling vineyard sites.
The Wines:
Craven Chardonnay 2025
Craven Chardonnay 2025 from Polkadraai Hills is all pear, citrus, and vivacious acidity. Eight months in concrete yields good clarity and flavour intensity without excess. At just 11.88% alcohol, it’s elegant, precise, and gently savoury on the finish.
R295.00Read more
Craven Chenin Blanc 2025
Karibib Vineyard Chenin Blanc 2025 comes from a 1981 planting in Polkadraai Hills. Quince, peach, yellow apple, a faint earthy note. Good weight and texture, well-integrated acidity, a pleasing piquancy on the finish. Nine months in concrete. 12.64% alcohol.
R295.00Read more
Craven Pinot Gris 2025
Craven Pinot Gris 2025 underwent six days of skin contact and six months in concrete. Strawberry, red apple, pomegranate, potpourri, spice. Concentrated fruit, lively acidity, a slightly pithy, saline finish. Vivid and full of flavour at 12% alcohol.
R265.00Read more
Craven Grenache Noir 2025
Craven Grenache 2025 (94 points CE) is the second vintage from a Vlottenburg vineyard planted in 2016. Flowers, herbs, red and black berries, white pepper. Punchy acidity, grippy tannins, poised and detailed, tightly wound, long on the finish. Eedes calls it “a marked step up on the maiden 2024.” Eight months in concrete. 12.25% alcohol.
R325.00Read more
Craven Cinsaut 2025
Craven Cinsaut 2025 from Firgrove is all floral perfume and cherry on the nose, juicy and rounded on the palate with bright acidity and powdery tannins. Six months in concrete. Plenty of open, easy charm at 12.01% alcohol.
R265.00Read more
Craven 'The Firs' Syrah 2025
Let’s start with Christian Eedes when he reviewed these wines on 13 March with The Firs Syrah 2025. “Everything comes together beautifully in this vintage” Eedes wrote, awarding it 97 points—the highest score in the Craven portfolio to date.
Violets, lavender, a whisper of fynbos, black berries, and pepper on the nose. Dense fruit, fresh acidity, powdery tannins packed tight. Succulent, vital, emphatically dry on the finish. It’s 100% whole-bunch fermented in stainless steel, then matured for 10 months in concrete tanks. At 13.34% alcohol, it’s restrained but brimming with intensity. This is Devon Valley Syrah at its most compelling—precision married to serious concentration.
R325.00Read more
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