Big Easy Red Blend
£22.00
£29.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 2 bottles available
90Unknown
Decanter World Wine Awards (as supplied by producer)Platter's Wine Guide (2024)
Six grapes, one generous Stellenbosch crowd-pleaser. Shiraz leads with spice and silk, Cabernet brings the backbone, and a splash of Viognier lifts the whole thing into floral, perfumed territory. It's juicy, structured and seriously drinkable, named for a golfing legend but built for any weeknight worth marking. A genuine introduction to what Helderberg reds do best.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We listed the Big Easy because it does something rare at this price: it delivers a six-grape Stellenbosch blend with real winemaking ambition behind it (micro-vinification, amphorae, the lot) and still drinks like a genuine crowd-pleaser. The Decanter Silver and Platter's four stars confirm what we already thought after the first glass. This is the bottle we'd reach for when friends arrive unannounced, or when you want one wine that'll work through a whole evening. If you enjoy this, the rest of the Ernie Els range is well worth exploring.
Tasting Notes
Ruby in the glass with a deeper plum core. The nose opens with lifted florals, hibiscus and potpourri, before darker notes of cassis, blueberry and red berry roll through, all dusted with white pepper. Bay leaf and sage add a savoury herbal lift. The palate is Shiraz-led: clove-spiced plum, wild bramble fruit, and a Cabernet spine that keeps everything upright. Tannins are paper-fine, acidity is bright and lemony, and the finish is juicy yet appetisingly dry.
Spiced plum pudding
Clove-studded dark plum and wild purple berries lead the palate, giving the wine its generous, opulent character without tipping into heaviness.
Lifted florals
Hibiscus and potpourri perfume the nose, an unexpected prettiness that softens the richer fruit and makes the wine genuinely aromatic.
White pepper spice
A sprinkle of white pepper and clove runs through the wine, classic cool-climate Shiraz spice that adds savoury energy to the fruit.
About This Wine
Some wines try too hard. The Big Easy doesn't have to. Sourced from selected vineyard parcels on the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, where the Atlantic sits just fifteen kilometres away and stretches the ripening season by a good three weeks, this is a blend that earns its name. Easy to love, easy to pour, easy to keep coming back to.
The blend is Shiraz-led (60%), with Cabernet Sauvignon providing the structural spine and smaller dashes of Mourvèdre, Grenache, Cinsault and a perfumed lick of Viognier filling in the corners. Each variety is fermented and aged separately (in older oak barrels or terracotta amphorae) before blending, which is winemaker's code for taking the long way round to get it right.
In the glass: ruby with a plum core, lifted floral aromas of hibiscus and potpourri, then darker notes of cassis, blueberry and a sprinkle of white pepper. The palate is juicy and charged, with clove-studded plum, wild berries and paper-fine tannins running into a bright, appetisingly dry finish. Pour it with a slow-cooked lamb shoulder, a Sunday roast beef, or a charred ribeye with chimichurri. It also handles a hard cheeseboard with ease.
Delivered across the UK, and a thoughtful gift for any South African expat who knows the Ernie Els name on the label means something.
Food Pairing
This is a Sunday lunch wine with proper versatility. The juicy fruit and fine tannins handle a charcoal-grilled ribeye or a rosemary-studded leg of lamb with ease, but the herbal lift means it also flatters a Moroccan-spiced lamb tagine or a slow-cooked beef shin ragu over pappardelle. For something simpler, try it with a mushroom and thyme pie or a wedge of mature Gouda.
- —Charcoal-grilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce
- —Slow-roasted leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic
- —Moroccan-spiced lamb tagine with apricots
- —Beef shin ragu with pappardelle
- —Mature Gouda with quince paste
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature, around 16 to 18 degrees. Pull the bottle from the rack 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Decanting
Worth decanting for 30 minutes before pouring. The florals and white pepper open up beautifully with a bit of air, and the Shiraz-led palate becomes more expressive without losing its juicy energy.
Glass
A generous, large-bowled red wine glass lets the lifted florals and dark fruit aromatics gather and breathe.
Cellaring
Store on its side at a steady 12 to 14 degrees, away from light and vibration. Good for another 5 to 7 years in proper conditions.
Behind the Wine
Helderberg sits on the cooler, breezier side of Stellenbosch, about 15 kilometres from the Atlantic, and that ocean influence shapes everything. Sea-cooled afternoons stretch the ripening window by up to three weeks, letting the grapes build phenolic depth without losing freshness. The team works selected parcels across six varieties, picking each at its own moment of balance. The result in the glass: ripe fruit with structure, generous concentration with a lifted, savoury edge that stops the wine from ever feeling heavy.
Ageing Potential
Drinking beautifully now, with the fruit at its juicy peak and the tannins already approachable. Cellar for another 5 to 7 years and you can expect the primary fruit to soften into something more savoury, with leather, dried herb and tobacco notes emerging alongside the spice.
The Land
The vineyards sit at around 250 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Helderberg, where weathered granite and clay-rich soils give the wine its rich middle-palate weight. The Atlantic, only 15 kilometres west, cools afternoon temperatures and slows ripening, building flavour intensity while preserving the lemony acidity that runs through the finish.
The Winemaking
Picking happens in the cool of pre-dawn, then optical sorting weeds out anything less than perfect. A portion of the Shiraz goes in whole-bunch for extra spice and lift, while the rest ferments as whole berries in open-top tanks and terracotta amphorae, gently coaxed with pump-overs and punch-downs. Some lots get extended maceration for deeper structure. Each variety then ages separately in older oak barrels or amphorae (a technique known as micro-vinification) for 12 to 14 months before the final blend is assembled. It's a craftsman's approach, and you taste it.
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.