Craven Wines, Stellenbosch, South Africa/ 2019

About the Company

One of Africa’s most interesting producers, Craven Wines is a small family business making balanced single-site wines in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. Mick and Jeanine Craven started Craven Wines in 2014, sourcing fruit from single vineyard sites in and around Stellenbosch to make “site-specific, honest wines” with the most natural grape treatment and the most gentle extraction possible. Picking their grapes early to best reflect site and vintage, Mick and Jeanine use no cultured yeasts, enzymes or fining agents for the wines to stabilize naturally in older oak and larger format barrels. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a minimal amount of SO2. From Pinot Gris, Syrah ‘The Firs’, Clairette Blanche, Cinsaut to Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, the Cravens sell out everything they produce with a particularly high demand in the UK, Japan and USA.

Their Challenge

The Cravens’ biggest challenge has been managing growth while staying true to the story of their sites. In minimalist, craft winemaking, a customized grape press with all necessary add-ons and equipment to make the winemaker’s job as easy as possible is indispensable. Craven Wines bought their first SRAML products in 2019 after having reached more than 30,000 bottles.

Our Solution

Searching for a pneumatic grape press to meet their expectations, the Cravens first came across the SRAML distributor in South Africa, ServoSol. Believing that “a machine is only as good as the people who service/fix it when in need,” they found the team at ServoSol to be the best in the business. “We trust their recommendations on products for the wine industry and SRAML was one of them,” concludes the fantastic duo.

In line with Mick and Jeanine specific needs we developed a custom pressing solution — SRAML VP21e pneumatic press and MPP8.5 peristaltic pump with hopper — joining forces with ServoSol who provided excellent customer service.

Key benefits

According to Craven Wines, the VP21e grape press is “excellent, well made and very easy to use.”

The VP21e features a user-friendly onboard PLC, the possibility to stop and start the cycle, a large door opening to allow for easy access and cleaning of both the cage and drain channels as well as simple and rapid emptying. From controlled-atmosphere pressing in the absence of air to hermetically sealed door and smart rotational speed, all design details are well thought out to facilitate pressing and cleaning operations while its smart soft-pressing system allows optimal use to extract high-quality juices.

“It has given us great yields from our grapes in just the first year and I am sure we can make even more improvements in subsequent years. The peristaltic mash pump has been a game changer for us during harvest, giving us the ability to reduce our press loads and also process red grapes into fermenters in a quick manner without compromising quality.”

“So far so good! We love what we have got from SRAML so far. We believe the products are only as good as the distributor/service follow-up, and ServoSol are the best. So, it’s a winning combination.”

Mick and Jeanine Craven, heart and soul of Craven Wines