Jam Jar Shiraz by Indaba Wines
£12.99
£17.32 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 10 bottles available
If you think you don't like Shiraz, this is the bottle that changes your mind. Jam Jar is a fresh, semi-sweet South African red built for easy pleasure: ripe blueberry and blackberry, a whisper of dark chocolate, and just enough acidity to keep it lively. Serve it slightly chilled and watch it disappear.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
We listed Jam Jar because it does something difficult: it makes Shiraz fun without dumbing it down. So many sweeter reds collapse into sticky one-note sugar, but this one keeps a fresh, fruity lift that stops it ever feeling heavy. It's the bottle we hand to friends who say they 'don't really drink red', and they always come back asking for it. Perfect for relaxed gatherings, spicy takeaways and anyone easing their way into South African wine. A reliable little charmer, and one that punches well above its modest price.
Tasting Notes
A glass of pure, juicy abandon. The nose tumbles out with ripe blueberry, brambly blackberry and crushed raspberry, all underscored by a curl of dark chocolate that gives the fruit weight rather than mere sweetness. The palate is plush and rounded, the natural sweetness kept honest by a bright seam of acidity so it finishes fresh rather than cloying. Tannins are soft and unobtrusive, the gentle touch of French oak adding a whisper of spice. Easy, generous, and built for pleasure straight from the bottle.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's exactly the point. Jam Jar, made by Indaba, is a semi-sweet Shiraz designed to be poured, enjoyed, and refilled without anyone reaching for the wine dictionary. If you've ever been put off by big, drying reds, this is your way back in. The fruit comes mainly from vineyards around Paarl, a warm, sun-soaked corner of the Cape with a Rhone-like climate that suits Shiraz beautifully. You get a glassful of ripe blueberries, juicy blackberries and a hint of raspberry, with a soft cocoa richness underneath. A naturally sweet component, drawn off the skins partway through fermentation, rounds everything out, while bright acidity stops it ever feeling cloying. A small portion sees French oak, just enough to add a gentle savoury edge. Serve it lightly chilled. It's brilliant with spicy food, think aromatic Thai curries, smoky barbecue ribs, or peppery chorizo, and it's a genuine crowd-pleaser at a summer gathering when not everyone wants something serious. It also makes a wonderfully unintimidating gift for a friend who's curious about wine but doesn't know where to start. We deliver across the UK, straight to the door.
Food Pairing
This sweet, berry-soaked style loves a little spice and a little salt. Pour it slightly chilled alongside a sticky barbecue rack of ribs, a fragrant lamb tagine, or a takeaway-style sweet and sour pork. It also shines after dinner: try it with a wedge of dark chocolate torte or a board of blue cheese with fig chutney, where the sweetness meets its match.
- —Sticky barbecue pork ribs
- —Spiced lamb and apricot tagine
- —Sweet and sour pork with steamed rice
- —Dark chocolate torte
- —Blue cheese with fig chutney
How to Serve
Decanting
No decanting needed. This is an open-and-pour wine, all about immediate, fruity charm, so there is little to gain from extended air time.
Behind the Wine
Paarl runs warm and dry through the growing season, a Rhone-like profile that ripens Shiraz to generous fruit. But this is a wine built around freshness, so timing in the vineyard matters. Cooler spells through ripening and a measured approach to harvest help retain natural acidity and keep tannins soft. That balance is exactly what you taste: ripe blueberry and blackberry held in check by a bright, lifted edge, the kind of elegance that makes the wine approachable young.
Ageing Potential
Made to be enjoyed young, while the fresh berry fruit is at its most vibrant. The cooler growing conditions gave soft tannins and an early-drinking charm, so there is nothing to wait for. Open it within a couple of years of release for the purest expression of that juicy character.
The Land
The vineyards around Paarl sit on a patchwork of soils. Granite and shale on the mountain slopes drain freely and keep the vines lean and focused, while pockets of sandstone, clay and loam on the valley floor hold a little more moisture. That mix, with steady soil water and little vine stress, gives Shiraz here both ripe, juicy fruit and a softer, rounder shape in the glass.
The Winemaking
This is a wine of small, deliberate decisions. Grapes are picked in the cool of early morning, de-stemmed, then cold soaked for a couple of days to draw out colour and fruit before fermentation begins with the vineyard's own wild yeasts. The real signature comes next: a naturally sweet portion is drawn off the skins partway through fermentation, lending roundness and softness rather than heaviness. After malolactic fermentation and time resting on fine lees, around a fifth of the wine sees six months in French oak, just enough to add a whisper of dark chocolate depth.
About the Producer
Indaba
Indaba takes its name from the Zulu word for a meeting of the minds, and that spirit runs through everything the label does. Born as a celebration of a new South Africa, the project has always paired honest, affordable winemaking with a serious commitment to the communities behind the bottle. A share of every sale funds the Indaba Foundation, which supports early childhood development across the Cape Winelands, training Montessori teachers and building learning spaces for the children of vineyard workers. The wines themselves come from long partnerships with conscientious growers in prime Cape appellations, farmers who have spent generations learning their land. It's wine with a conscience, and it shows in the glass.