Big Easy Cabernet Sauvignon
£17.49
£23.32 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 8 bottles available
Ernie Els lends his name; Louis Strydom does the heavy lifting. The result is a generous, Helderberg-grown Cabernet softened by a splash of Cinsault, all cassis, cedar and graphite, with tannins polished enough for a Tuesday and depth enough for a Sunday roast. A genuine crowd-pleaser, delivered across the UK.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
We listed Big Easy because it punches well above its price tag. There's a lot of South African Cabernet around the £15-£20 mark, and most of it plays safe, this one has actual personality. The Cinsault dash gives it a juiciness you don't often find at this level, and Louis Strydom's hand shows in the polish of the tannins. We'd happily pour it at a dinner party without explanation, and it's one we keep returning to when customers ask for a reliable midweek Cape red that still feels like an occasion. A genuinely easy recommendation.
Tasting Notes
Pour this and the glass fills with cassis, spring plum and fresh blackberry, lifted by a savoury thread of wild rosemary, bay and crushed herbs. Underneath sits the cedar, ash and ground cinnamon that careful oaking brings, not heavy, just framing. The palate is bright and tangy at first, then deepens as earthy, graphite notes settle in. Tannins are soft and integrated, the texture juicy but refined, finishing long on lead pencil and dark fruit.
Cassis and Spring Plum
Fresh blackcurrant and just-ripe plum drive the fruit core, bright, tangy and energetic rather than jammy or sun-baked.
Wild Herb Garrigue
Rosemary, bay leaf and sorrel give a savoury, Provençal edge that keeps the dark fruit honest and grown-up.
Cedar and Cinnamon
Elegant oak ageing layers in cedar, ash and a dusting of ground cinnamon, adding warmth without smothering the fruit.
About This Wine
If you want a South African Cabernet that gets straight to the point, this is it. Big Easy is the more approachable side of the Ernie Els stable, named after the golfer's nickname, but crafted with the same seriousness winemaker Louis Strydom brings to the estate's flagship reds. Think of it as a polished introduction to what Stellenbosch Cabernet really tastes like.
The fruit comes off the Helderberg slopes, where False Bay breezes keep the grapes cool enough to hold their freshness through the long Cape summers. It's blended with around 15% Cinsault, which is the clever bit, that softer, juicier grape rounds out Cabernet's structure and stops it ever feeling stern. On the nose you get cassis, fresh plum and blackberry lifted by wild rosemary and bay leaf, with cedar and a whisper of cinnamon from careful barrel ageing. The palate is bright and tangy, with that telltale Cabernet graphite running through the finish.
Pour it with a charcoal-grilled ribeye, a slow-cooked lamb shoulder, or a midweek shepherd's pie when you want to make the ordinary feel special. It's also a brilliant gift for anyone who follows the golf, or just someone who appreciates a properly made Cape red. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, usually within a few days.
Food Pairing
This wants something with char and herbs. A rosemary-rubbed roast leg of lamb is the obvious winner, the savoury herbal lift in the wine mirrors the meat. It's equally at home with a Sunday rib of beef, a smoky chargrilled ribeye, or a wintry oxtail stew. For something lighter, try it with a mature Cheddar ploughman's or a pile of herb-rubbed lamb chops off the grill.
- —Rosemary-rubbed roast leg of lamb
- —Chargrilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce
- —Sunday roast rib of beef with horseradish
- —Slow-braised oxtail stew
- —Mature Cheddar with crusty bread and chutney
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature. Pull from the rack twenty minutes before serving so the fruit lifts.
Decanting
Worth a decant. Give it 45 minutes in a wide-bottomed decanter, the herbal aromatics open up and any youthful reduction blows off, leaving the cassis and cedar in clearer focus.
Glass
A large-bowled Bordeaux glass, tall and tapered, gives the cedar and graphite room to gather.
Cellaring
Store on its side somewhere cool, dark and stable around 12–14°C. It'll happily rest for five to eight years if you'd rather see how it grows.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully now with soft tannins and juicy fruit, but there's structure here for the patient. Expect another five to eight years of graceful evolution, with the graphite and cedar deepening as the primary fruit settles into something more savoury and earthy.
The Land
Fruit comes from the Helderberg ward within Stellenbosch, with additional parcels drawn from cooler coastal sites to complete the blend. The granite-derived soils and ocean-tempered climate of the Helderberg give Cabernet its dark-fruited concentration and savoury herbal lift, while the coastal parcels add brightness and freshness to the final wine.
The Winemaking
Hand-harvested in the cool of early morning, then sorted berry by berry to keep only the cleanest fruit. Fermentation happens in seven-ton open-top stainless steel tanks, with gentle pump-overs and manual punch-downs three to five times a day, patient work that coaxes deep colour and supple tannins from the skins. Each variety is matured separately in oak before blending, which is why the Cabernet keeps its graphite spine while a splash of Cinsault rounds the edges into something genuinely easy to drink.
About the Producer
Ernie Els
Ernie Els needs little introduction on the fairway, but his wine project is the real deal too. Founded in 1999 on the slopes of the Helderberg, the estate sits in what locals call Stellenbosch's Golden Triangle, prime Cabernet country. From the start, Ernie brought in Louis Strydom as cellar master, one of the Cape's most respected red-wine makers, to build a portfolio that began with serious Bordeaux-style blends and has since grown to include the more approachable Big Easy range. The name is a nod to Ernie's famously fluid golf swing, the nickname that followed him around the PGA tour. The philosophy: same Stellenbosch craftsmanship, friendlier price, everyday drinking.