Painted Wolf

South Africa

Painted Wolf takes its name, and its purpose, from one of Africa's most endangered predators: the African wild dog, known to conservationists as the painted wolf. It's an unusual starting point for a wine label, but once you understand the story, it makes perfect sense. Founded in Paarl in 2006 by Emma and Jeremy Borg, this is a producer built on the idea that good wine and good intentions aren't mutually exclusive. Jeremy learned his craft the hard way, working harvests and cellars across the US, UK and South Africa, including a spell at Fairview just down the road in Paarl. That well-travelled apprenticeship shows in the wines: confident, well-made, and refreshingly free of pretension. The Borgs source their grapes widely across the Cape Winelands, with a particular focus on the Swartland and other Coastal region vineyards, giving them the flexibility to chase quality and character rather than being tied to a single estate. What sets Painted Wolf apart, though, is the conservation thread running through everything they do. A portion of proceeds supports wild dog conservation and social upliftment projects, and the packageing itself tells that story, each wine a small act of storytelling as much as winemaking. It would be easy for that to feel like a marketing gimmick bolted onto an ordinary wine business. It doesn't. The commitment runs deep, and the wines back it up. We stock Painted Wolf because they prove that a wine with a conscience doesn't have to compromise on drinkability. The Den range, their most approachable line, is exactly what its name suggests: soft, juicy, unfussy wines built for everyday drinking rather than the cellar. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and a Pinotage Rosé all wear the Wine of Origin Western Cape or Swartland badge with quiet confidence, and all deliver more character than their easy-drinking style might suggest. For UK customers curious about South African wine with genuine substance behind the label, Painted Wolf offers a way in that's both delicious and meaningful. It's a bottle you can open on a Tuesday and one you can talk about at a dinner party, which isn't a combination you find often.

The Painted Wolf Story

Painted Wolf Wines began in 2006, the creation of husband-and-wife team Emma and Jeremy Borg, who set up shop in Paarl with a clear idea of what they wanted to build. Jeremy had spent years working in wine before that, gaining experience in the US and UK as well as closer to home in South Africa, including time at Fairview, one of Paarl's most respected estates. That grounding gave him both the technical skill and the international perspective to shape a brand that felt distinctive from the outset.

The name Painted Wolf comes from the African wild dog, an animal whose distinctive mottled coat gives it its nickname and whose numbers have declined sharply across the continent. The Borgs built their business around supporting its conservation, alongside social upliftment projects in the communities connected to their winemaking. It's a mission that has stayed constant since the earliest vintages, informing everything from the labels to the way the company talks about itself.

Rather than anchoring themselves to a single vineyard, Painted Wolf built relationships with growers across the Cape Winelands, with particular focus on the Swartland and other Coastal region sites. This approach let them select fruit suited to each wine's style rather than being limited by what grew on one piece of land, a flexibility that has shaped their range ever since.

Today, the estate's tasting room sits at Simondium, on the road between Paarl and Franschhoek, a fitting spot for a producer that has always looked slightly beyond convention. The Den range, named for the communal heart of a wild dog pack, has become the label's most recognised offering: approachable, well-made wines that carry the brand's conservation story to tables far beyond South Africa, including here in the UK.

Winemaking Philosophy

Painted Wolf's approach starts with a simple idea: great wine doesn't need to come from a single, prestigious estate. Jeremy Borg, who learned his craft at Fairview and with wine companies across the US and UK, sources fruit from across the Cape Winelands, with a particular focus on the Swartland and the wider Coastal region. That freedom lets him chase the best parcels each vintage rather than being tied to one patch of ground, choosing sites for what they can bring to a specific wine rather than a specific label.

The style favours drinkability over showiness. The Den range, Painted Wolf's everyday collection, is built around soft, juicy, generous wines: Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc with bright, approachable fruit, and a Pinotage (in both red and rosé form) that leans into the grape's warm, red-fruited side rather than its smokier, more brooding extremes. These are wines meant to be opened without ceremony, on a Tuesday as easily as a Saturday.

What sets Painted Wolf apart is the philosophy behind the label as much as the winemaking itself. The estate is named for the African wild dog, or 'painted wolf', an endangered species whose survival depends on strong, cooperative communities. That same spirit of cooperation shapes how the wines are made: working with growers across different regions, supporting social-upliftment projects, and putting conservation at the centre of the business rather than treating it as an afterthought. Every bottle carries that story forward, in Paarl and well beyond.