“My winemaking philosophy and approach is really, really simple. We call it minimal intervention where we only intervene where absolutely necessary, and the whole philosophy is based on expressing the vineyard, the site, the terroir as much as possible through all the winemaking.”
Peter-Allan is the third generation of Finlaysons involved in making wine on South African soils. Peter-Allan and his brother Andrew started Crystallum in 2007, specialising in producing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the Walker Bay region. He completed a degree in philosophy and economics at Stellenbosch University in 2006.
Winemaking was, however, always going to his calling and after his studies he moved back to Hermanus to begin Crystallum, working with the wisdom passed down from his father Peter. He has undertaken extensive travels abroad, with multiple harvests in Burgundy in France and Priorat in Spain, and visits to Portugal and Austria having galvanised his craft and passion for the world of fine wine.
Peter-Allan joined Gabriëlskloof in 2014 where he acts as winemaker and uses the cellar for the production of his own Crystallum wines. Peter-Allan seeks to continue and build on the Finlayson legacy of producing world-class wines in South Africa.