Fairview Sweet Red
£24.00
£32.00 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 12 bottles available
Sweet reds are a rare breed in the UK, and this one from Paarl is a genuine find. Fairview blends Petite Sirah and Tempranillo with a splash of fortified Souzão for a deep ruby pour bursting with sun-ripened plum, rum-and-raisin warmth and candied berry sweetness. Pour it after dinner, or alongside something rich and roasted.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
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Our Verdict
We list this one for the simple reason that nobody else seems to bother with sweet reds, and that's a shame. It's the bottle we reach for when a guest says they don't really like red wine, and watch them change their mind. The Souzão addition gives it a Port-like depth that lifts it well above the usual sweet-red category, while the Petite Sirah keeps the structure honest. Stocks are deliberately small, Fairview only release a little of this each year, so if you're curious, don't wait too long. If you enjoy this, the Fairview Pinotage is a brilliant next step.
Tasting Notes
A deep ruby pour with a nose of sun-ripened plums, dark prune and a dusting of mixed spice, think clove, cinnamon and a whisper of nutmeg. The palate is full-bodied and unapologetically sweet, layering rum-and-raisin warmth over candied berry fruit, with the Souzão-fortified backbone lending grip and savoury depth. Spice and dried fruit linger long on the finish, holding the sweetness in balance so it never feels cloying.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that doesn't follow the rules. Sweet reds occupy a curious little corner of the wine world, adored by those in the know, overlooked by everyone else, and Fairview have made one that converts sceptics on the first sip. If you've got a sweet tooth or you're tired of pretending you don't, this is the bottle for you. From Charles Back's storied Paarl estate comes a blend that reads like a Cape adventure: Petite Sirah and Tempranillo grown on trellised vineyards on the home farm, lifted with a measure of Souzão sourced from the old bushvines of the Swartland and fortified in the traditional Port style. The result pours a deep, glossy ruby and smells of sun-warmed plums, prune, baking spice and dark earth. On the palate it's full-bodied and generous, rum-and-raisin richness, candied berries, a flicker of warm spice, with a finish that's sweet but never cloying. Don't pigeonhole this as a dessert-only wine. It's brilliant with roast duck, slow-cooked lamb, or a board of mature Cheddar and blue cheese on a winter evening. Equally happy after the plates are cleared, poured alongside a sticky chocolate pudding or simply sipped by the fire. We ship across the UK, usually within 2-3 days, and for anyone with a sweet-toothed friend or a homesick South African in your life, it makes a thoughtful, slightly surprising gift.
Food Pairing
This is a sweet red that genuinely earns its place at the table. Pour it alongside roast duck with a cherry or plum sauce, or a slow-roasted venison haunch. It also shines after dinner, think dark chocolate torte, sticky toffee pudding, or a wedge of mature blue cheese with quince paste. Equally happy sipped slowly by the fire.
- —Roast duck with cherry or plum sauce
- —Slow-roasted venison haunch with redcurrant jelly
- —Dark chocolate torte or sticky toffee pudding
- —Mature Stilton with quince paste and walnuts
- —Christmas pudding with brandy butter
How to Serve
Decanting
Decanting isn't essential, but half an hour in a decanter helps the rum-and-raisin aromatics open up and softens the slightly fortified edge. Useful if you're serving it as a centrepiece pour.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drink now or hold for the short to medium term. The fortified backbone and concentrated sweetness mean it will keep happily for three to five years, slowly trading some primary fruit for deeper dried-fig and treacle notes. There's no urgent rush, but no real reward in long cellaring either.
The Winemaking
This is a fortified sweet red built in the Port style, Souzão grapes from the Swartland are picked at full ripeness, then fortified to lock in their natural sugar and concentrate the dark fruit. That fortified base is blended with Petite Sirah from Paarl, with a touch of Tempranillo woven through, adding depth, spice and a savoury backbone. The result is a wine that drinks rich and unctuous without ever tipping into cloying, sweetness held in check by structure.
About the Producer
Fairview
Fairview is one of those Cape estates that refuses to sit still. Run by Charles Back, whose family has farmed this corner of Paarl for generations, it's built a reputation on curiosity rather than tradition for tradition's sake, planting Mediterranean varieties when nobody else would, making goat's cheese alongside the wine, and launching the cheeky Goats do Roam range that ruffled feathers in Châteauneuf and won hearts everywhere else. The wines reflect the man: serious about quality, allergic to pretension. Whether it's a benchmark Pinotage or a fortified curiosity like this one, you get the sense that someone genuinely enjoyed making it.