Alvi's Drift Signature Shiraz
£13.49
£17.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 17 bottles available
Veritas Awards, winery total (2024)Veritas Awards, winery total (2023)Signature range, general commendation
Bold, fruit-driven Shiraz from the banks of the Breede River, where cooler pockets of the Western Cape give this grape a generous, peppery edge. Think ripe plum, bramble and a savoury spice lift, with just enough oak to round things off. A genuinely great-value crowd-pleaser that punches well above its price, weeknight ready, dinner-party worthy.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We list a lot of South African Shiraz, and this is one of the wines we point people to when they ask for genuine value, something that drinks like it costs more. The Alvi's Drift Signature has that classic Breede River generosity, but with a peppery, savoury lift that stops it falling into easy-drinking blandness. It's the bottle to keep on the rack for midweek meals when you can't be bothered to think but still want something properly good. A real workhorse, and one of our most consistent sellers in this price bracket.
Tasting Notes
A generous, fruit-forward Shiraz that leads with dark plum, bramble and mulberry on the nose, ripe but not jammy. The palate carries that same dark fruit core, layered with cracked black pepper, savoury spice and a soft vanilla warmth from three months in oak. Acidity stays fresh and lively, keeping the wine bright rather than heavy, while well-integrated tannins give the finish quiet structure. An easy, drink-now style that still has real character.
Dark Plum & Bramble
Ripe damson plum, mulberry and blackberry sit at the heart of this wine, the kind of generous, sun-warmed fruit South African Shiraz does so well.
Cracked Black Pepper
A lift of fresh-ground pepper and savoury spice cuts through the fruit, adding the peppery signature that marks good Shiraz wherever it grows.
Soft Vanilla Warmth
Three months in oak adds a gentle vanilla edge, present but never dominant, letting the fruit stay centre stage where it belongs.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that proves you don't need to spend a fortune to drink seriously well. Alvi's Drift sit in Scherpenheuvel, one of the cooler corners of the Breede River Valley, where the river that gives the estate its name keeps the vineyards in balance even through hot Western Cape summers. The result is a Shiraz that's ripe and generous but never jammy, exactly what South African Shiraz does so well.
In the glass, expect a deep core of dark plum, blackberry and mulberry, lifted by cracked black pepper and a whisper of vanilla from a brief stint in oak. The fruit does the talking, but there's real structure underneath: fresh acidity, polished tannins, and a finish that lingers longer than the price tag suggests. Grapes are hand-picked in the cool of dawn and the winemaking is deliberately gentle, all in service of keeping that vivid, fruit-driven character intact.
Pull the cork for a Sunday roast, a mushroom risotto on a cold Tuesday, or anything coming off the grill, lamb chops with rosemary, a butterflied leg, a charred ribeye. It's also a brilliant case wine if you're stocking up for the months ahead.
We deliver across the UK, and at this price it's the kind of bottle worth having half a dozen of in the rack. Sending a taste of the Cape to a homesick South African friend? They'll know exactly what you've done.
Food Pairing
This is a versatile midweek red that earns its keep at the table. The peppery, fruit-driven palate works beautifully with a rich mushroom risotto or a bowl of slow-cooked ragù over pappardelle. It really hits its stride alongside anything off the grill, sticky pork ribs, lamb chops with rosemary, or a properly charred ribeye on a Friday night.
- —Mushroom and thyme risotto
- —Slow-cooked beef ragù with pappardelle
- —Grilled lamb chops with rosemary and garlic
- —Sticky barbecue pork ribs
- —Charred ribeye with peppercorn sauce
How to Serve
Temperature
Just below room temperature. Twenty minutes out of a warm kitchen, or briefly in the fridge, hits the mark.
Decanting
Doesn't need a long decant, this is a fruit-forward, ready-to-drink style. A quick splash into a decanter or jug fifteen minutes before pouring will lift the aromatics nicely.
Glass
A standard red wine glass with a decent bowl works perfectly, enough room to release the pepper and dark fruit.
Cellaring
Store cool and dark if you're holding bottles, but there's no real benefit to long ageing. Drink within a few years for the freshest expression.
Ageing & Cellaring
Built as a fresh, fruit-driven style for early drinking rather than long cellaring. Enjoy within three to five years of the vintage on the label, while the dark fruit is still vivid and the pepper notes are at their most expressive.
The Land
The Alvi's Drift vineyards lie along the Breede River in the Scherpenheuvel ward, where soil diversity is the real story, granite, shale, alluvial loams and pockets of limestone all within reach of the same cellar. Combined with the cooler mesoclimate and reliable river water, it's a setting that lets Shiraz build colour, flavour and freshness in equal measure.
The Winemaking
The grapes come in by hand in the cool of early morning, picked bunch by bunch so only the cleanest, ripest fruit makes the cut. In the cellar the focus stays squarely on the fruit, a gentle three months in oak adds a whisper of pepper-spice and vanilla without ever stepping on the bramble and dark plum at the wine's core. Fresh acidity and tannins that have softened into the wine give it real shape on the finish.
The Western Cape Region
Le Domaine draws its fruit from vineyards scattered across the Western Cape, from coastal sites cooled by Atlantic breezes to warmer inland slopes, all planted between 50 and 300 metres above sea level. This broad sourcing is deliberate. By blending components from different microclimates, the cellar builds a consistent house style that balances the crisp acidity of cooler sites with the ripe generosity of warmer ones. It's the Western Cape's extraordinary diversity captured in a single glass.