Frequently asked questions

IL GECO currently produces three wines: a single-varietal Pinot Gris (2023 vintage), a single-varietal Sangiovese (2023 vintage), and a zero-dosage Cap Classique sparkling wine (2019 vintage, co-pressed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). All wines are made with minimal intervention using indigenous yeast fermentation.

IL GECO wines are available at Wine Concepts on Kloof Street, Vino Pronto in Gardens, Liquor City in Claremont, and The Wine Hive in Paarl. You can also buy online at shop.ilgeco.co.za.

In Johannesburg, IL GECO wines are stocked at Wine Menu and Norman Goodfellows. Our wines are also on the wine list at Dolci Café, KanPai, and Prawnery restaurants.

Yes. In the United States, IL GECO wines are available through Elephants Corner Wines in North Carolina. For other international markets, contact info@ilgeco.co.za to discuss import opportunities.

Yes. IL GECO wines ship within South Africa from the official online shop at shop.ilgeco.co.za. You must be 18 years or older to purchase alcohol in South Africa.

Yes. IL GECO offers private curated tastings at a venue of your choosing. We also cater to corporate events and wine cellar development consultations. Contact info@ilgeco.co.za to arrange a tasting.

Minimal intervention winemaking means allowing the wine to express its terroir with as little manipulation as possible. At IL GECO, this means fermenting with indigenous (wild) yeast, maturing in neutral oak vessels to preserve varietal character, using no fining agents, and applying only light filtration. No enzymes or commercial additives are used.

Indigenous yeast fermentation uses the wild yeast strains naturally present on grape skins and in the cellar, rather than commercially produced yeast. Fermentation starts spontaneously and typically proceeds more slowly, producing more complex, terroir-driven flavour profiles unique to each vineyard.

Cap Classique is South Africa’s traditional method sparkling wine. It is made using the same bottle-fermentation technique as Champagne, but from South African grapes in South African cellars. Only sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne. IL GECO’s Cap Classique 2019 is made from co-pressed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in the Bottelary Ward, Stellenbosch.

Zero dosage (also called brut nature) means no sugar is added to the sparkling wine after disgorgement. The bottle is topped with the same wine instead of a sugar solution, so the wine finishes bone dry and shows its fruit and lees character without sweetening. IL GECO’s Cap Classique 2019 is a zero-dosage wine.

IL GECO is Italian for “the gecko”. The name honours the Sciocatti family’s Italian heritage and the resilient gecko: like the vine, the gecko thrives in demanding environments. The wines themselves are proudly South African, grown and made in the Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch.

IL GECO was founded in 2022 by South African winemaker Clarise Sciocatti. She holds a WSET Diploma in Wines and a Postgraduate Diploma in Wine Business Management, and previously worked at Avondale Wine Estate and as Head Winemaker at Hazendal Wine Estate, with vintages in New Zealand, Australia and California.

Small crystals in the bottle are natural tartrate crystals, a harmless by-product of minimal intervention winemaking. Because IL GECO wines are not fined and only lightly filtered, these crystals may occur. They do not affect the taste or quality of the wine.