Frewin Ries

Frewin Ries – Co-Winemaker & Co-owner of CRFT Wines

Frewin is one of those lucky people who knew what he wanted to do from a very young age. Frewin grew up on New Zealand’s North Island and by age 17 had already ticked off his first vintage, at Cloudy Bay in Marlborough. 

At 19, he graduated with a wine diploma NMIT, and then went on to hone his skills working 31 vintages across more than 15 wineries and vineyards in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and France. 

He developed a love for the intricacies of making single-vineyard Pinot Noir while working in Marlborough from 1998 to 2001 and during a stint at the Russian River Pinot House, Williams Selyem Winery in California in 2003. 

In 2010, Frewin put his growing knowledge of Australia’s unique terroir to work and founded Complexity Wines, making wine from family-owned vineyards throughout South Australia’s premium wine regions.  

In 2012 CRFT Wines was established as the culmination of a long-held dream of Frewin’s, together with his wife and co-winemaker, Candice Helbig.