Ben says

★★ Great Wine I am torn; is this an orange wine or a light red wine? The pinkish-grey Pinot Gris has leeched a very reddish hue into this skin contact wine. I’m here for it. Aromas of cranberries, crushed strawberries, pears and smoked raspberry tea makes up a nose that keeps you coming back for new smells. It’s a bright, light wine that loves a bit of a chilling and has tons of red fruit over violet-like floral hues. The fruit development gives you the impression of sweetness, like soft and bruised summer berries. It’s a very interesting wine.

Guerrieri Rizzardi '3 Cru' Amarone della Valpolicella Red Wine

KEY POINTS

Varietal Pinot Gris with 11.5% abv. Pinot Gris is soaked on its skins for 6 days and then pressed to extract further tannins and colour. The wine is then matured in concrete tank to rest before bottling.

Grown in: Stellenbosch, SOUTH AFRICA.

Food Pairing

I find wines like this go well with Italian simple foods like risotto or pasta with garlic and chilli. It will also make a fine partner to cured meats and cheese. If you’re having it with spicy food, as you might with skin contact wines for their juicy texture (especially if you lightly chill them), then go for a lamb stew with Caribbean spices or a lamb tagine.

Disclosure & Price

Tasted during a study session. Find in the UK for circa £23.30 from Parched.

Reviewed and tasted: 07/01/2025

Ben Franks Wine Tasting Note Producer Profile

About the Producer

Mick and Jeanine Craven started Craven Wines in 2014. Mick met his wife Jeanie in California while working in Sonoma County before they settled in South Africa. They work with vineyards that practice organic viticulture and only make wines with natural yeasts, bottling them with minimal sulphur additions.