Piekenierskloof Cinsault
£18.99
£25.32 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 1 bottle left
Cinsault is having a moment, and this is one of the reasons why. Grown on high-altitude bush vines in the Piekenierskloof plateau north of Swartland, it's a red of grace rather than weight, perfumed cherry, wild strawberry, a whisper of spice. Serve it lightly chilled and watch it disappear.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We listed this one because, frankly, it changed our minds about Cinsault. We'd tasted plenty of the grape in blends, pleasant enough, rarely memorable, but the Piekenierskloof bottling has a clarity and lift you just don't expect at this price. It's the high-altitude bush vines doing the talking: small berries, concentrated flavour, but a lightness of touch that makes it endlessly drinkable. Pour it slightly chilled and it works for almost anything, from a Tuesday night roast chicken to a summer lunch in the garden. If you've enjoyed cool-climate Pinot Noir or fresh-styled Grenache, this is the bottle to try next.
Tasting Notes
Pour this and the glass fills with red cherry, wild strawberry and a lift of crushed raspberry, Cinsault at its most charming. Underneath sits a whisper of black peppercorn and dried fynbos, the kind of savoury edge that only old bush vines deliver. The palate is light-footed but never thin, with silky tannins, bright acidity and a gentle smokiness from the older French oak. The finish is long, perfumed and persistently moreish.
About This Wine
Forget what you think you know about Cinsault. For decades it was the workhorse grape of South Africa, bulked out into easy-drinking blends and rarely given a name of its own. Then a handful of growers looked up at the old bush vines clinging to the higher slopes and realised what they had: a grape capable of real elegance, perfume and lift, if only someone took it seriously. Piekenierskloof is one of the producers leading that quiet revolution. The fruit comes from unirrigated bush vines rooted in sandy loam soils on the Piekenierskloof plateau, 50km north of Swartland in the Citrusdal Mountains. At 650 to 700 metres, the cool nights preserve aromatics that lower, hotter sites simply can't hold on to. In the glass, you'll find lifted red cherry and wild strawberry, a brush of cracked black pepper, and a savoury, almost herbal edge that keeps every sip interesting. The tannins are fine and powdery, the finish long and gently spiced. After a 24-hour cold soak, half the wine spends twelve months in seasoned 500-litre French oak barrels, the rest in a larger foudre, gentle vessels that frame the fruit rather than mask it. The result is a red that drinks beautifully on its own but loves food: roast chicken with thyme, charcuterie boards, duck breast with cherries, or a slow-cooked lamb tagine. Serve it lightly chilled, around 14-16°C, and it positively sings. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, this is the kind of bottle that surprises the table. A thoughtful gift for the friend who thinks they've tasted everything, and a brilliant find for anyone curious about where South African red is really heading.
Food Pairing
This is a brilliantly versatile food wine. Lightly chilled, it sings alongside duck breast with cherry sauce, a herb-crusted rack of lamb, or a midweek pork belly with apple. It also handles charcuterie boards, mushroom risotto and even a properly spiced Moroccan tagine with ease. Try it slightly cool with grilled tuna, Cinsault's bright acidity loves oily fish.
- —Pan-seared duck breast with cherry jus
- —Slow-roasted pork belly with braised red cabbage
- —Charcuterie board with saucisson and aged Manchego
- —Wild mushroom and thyme risotto
- —Lamb and apricot tagine with couscous
How to Serve
Decanting
No decanting needed. A simple swirl in the glass is all this needs to release its perfumed red fruit. If you want to be thorough, open the bottle fifteen minutes before serving.
Behind the Wine
Piekenierskloof sits high in the Citrusdal Mountains, where bush vines are dry-farmed on sandy loam at altitudes pushing 700 metres. Even when Cape summers turn fierce, those cool mountain nights lock in perfume and lift, while the unirrigated old vines dig deep for what little moisture they need. Yields are kept below five tons per hectare and the fruit comes in by hand in early March. The result is Cinsault with bright red-fruit purity and gentle, transparent structure rather than heat or heaviness.
Ageing Potential
Drink now or hold for the next three to five years. There is enough fruit concentration and structure to evolve gently in bottle, with the primary berry character softening into dried cherry and earthy, gamey notes over time. Honestly, though, this is a wine made to be enjoyed young and fresh.
The Land
Ungrafted bush vines rooted in sandy, loam soils at 650 to 700 metres above sea level. No irrigation, no shortcuts, the vines have to find their own water, which keeps berries small and concentrated. The altitude brings cool nights that preserve aromatic lift, giving Cinsault its characteristic perfume and fine-boned structure rather than alcoholic weight.
The Winemaking
The approach here is deliberately light-handed, designed to let Cinsault speak. Hand-picked bunches are cold-soaked for a full day to coax colour and aromatics gently from the skins, with fermentation held under 24°C to preserve the lifted red-fruit character. Malolactic finishes in tank for freshness, then half the wine spends twelve months in seasoned 500-litre French oak, second, third and fourth fill, so there's no new-oak imprint, while the rest rests in a larger foudre. The aim is breath and texture, not vanilla or toast.
The Swartland Region
Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.
About the Producer
Piekenierskloof Wine Company
Piekenierskloof Wine Company takes its name from the plateau it calls home, a high-altitude pocket in the Citrusdal Mountains about 50km north of Swartland. The Piekeniers were Dutch soldiers sent from the Cape centuries ago to explore the Olifants River region; today their name marks one of South Africa's most quietly important wine zones. Under winemaker Hendrien Vercueil, the team specialises in Rhône-style wines built around the area's old, ungrafted bush vines. Some of these were planted back in the 1950s and still produce small, intense bunches that give Piekenierskloof's wines their distinctive depth and authenticity. This is a producer that lets the place do the talking.