Bellevue Estate Collection Shiraz
£17.99
£23.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 10 bottles available
Stellenbosch Shiraz with finesse rather than fireworks. From the Bottelary hills, this is a smoky, spicy red built around sour-cherry fruit, a whisper of mocha and a twist of white pepper. Elegant, restrained, and seriously food-friendly, the kind of bottle that quietly steals the show at a midweek supper.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We added the Bellevue Collection Shiraz because it does something a lot of Stellenbosch Shiraz forgets to do: it shows restraint. There's smoke, there's spice, there's ripe fruit, but none of it shouts. This is a wine for people who've worked their way through the big, sticky end of South African Shiraz and are ready for something with more nuance and a proper savoury backbone. At under twenty pounds, it's also one of the more honestly priced Bottelary reds we ship. Pour it with anything off the grill and you'll see exactly why it earned its place on the list.
Tasting Notes
Smoke curls through the glass first, woodsmoke, charred herbs, a hint of cured meat, before the fruit steps forward. Sour cherry and fresh raspberry sit at the centre, neither jammy nor lean, with a thread of mocha from the oak and a twist of white pepper on the edges. The texture is velvety but never heavy, the acidity keeping everything lifted and savoury. The finish lingers on spice and dark berry rather than sweetness, leaving you wanting another sip.
Sour-Sweet Cherry
Fresh red cherry and raspberry sit at the heart of the wine, balanced between ripe sweetness and bright, food-friendly acidity.
Woodsmoke & Char
A smoky, almost charcuterie-like savouriness runs through the palate, giving the wine real depth and a moreish, meaty quality.
White Pepper Lift
A pinch of white pepper sharpens the finish, adding spice and energy that keeps this Shiraz feeling lively rather than weighty.
About This Wine
If your idea of Shiraz is all muscle and no manners, this one will recalibrate your thinking. Bellevue farms its vines on the Bottelary hills, a pocket of Stellenbosch where the cooling Atlantic breezes draw down through the slopes and rein in the ripeness. The result is a Shiraz with phenolic sweetness, yes, but always tethered to fresh acidity and a properly savoury edge.
Pour a glass and you'll find sour-sweet cherry and raspberry up front, with woodsmoke curling underneath and a pinch of white pepper on the finish. There's a charcuterie quality here too, that lovely cured-meat savouriness that good cool-climate Syrah develops when it isn't pushed for power. The grapes come from a trellised, dryland vineyard, were cold-soaked before a short, energetic fermentation, then matured in a mix of French and American oak. The American barrels give that gentle mocha lift; the French keeps everything tight and focused.
This is a wine that loves lean game, venison, ostrich, a rare-cooked duck breast, but it's just as happy with a Sunday lamb roast or a charcoal-grilled ribeye. Bellevue has been farming this land for over two centuries, and that long view shows in every glass. Delivered across the UK, and a smart pick for anyone sending a taste of Stellenbosch to a homesick Capetonian.
Food Pairing
This is a Shiraz built for game and gently spiced cooking rather than the heaviest cuts. The smoky, peppery side loves anything off the grill, and the bright acidity cuts through richer braises. Think lean venison, roast duck, or a Sunday lamb shoulder with rosemary. It's also lovely with mushroom-heavy dishes, a wild mushroom risotto sings alongside this.
- —Pan-fried venison loin with redcurrant jus
- —Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic
- —Char-grilled ostrich fillet with black pepper
- —Wild mushroom and thyme risotto
- —Roast duck breast with cherry sauce
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature. Twenty minutes out of the fridge in summer, or thirty in a cellar-cool spot.
Decanting
Not essential, but thirty to forty minutes in a decanter helps the smoky aromatics bloom and softens the gentle tannic edge. A quick swirl in the glass works almost as well.
Glass
A medium-bowled Burgundy or all-purpose red glass suits the wine's lifted, perfumed style better than a heavy Bordeaux glass.
Cellaring
Store on its side somewhere cool, dark, and steady, ideally 12-14°C. Best enjoyed within three to five years of vintage while the fruit stays fresh.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully on release, with the elegant, restrained style and gentle oak handling suggesting another three to five years of graceful evolution. Expect the smoky, peppery notes to deepen and the tannins to soften further, though there's no need to wait, it's pouring well right now.
The Land
The fruit comes from a trellised, dryland vineyard, no irrigation, no shortcuts. Roots are forced deep into the Bottelary soils to find their own water, and the resulting berries are smaller, more concentrated, and stamped with the savoury signature of the site.
The Winemaking
A gentle cold soak before fermentation coaxes colour and aromatic lift from the skins without bullying the fruit. Fermentation runs for around four days with thrice-daily pump-overs, building structure while keeping the tannins supple. Malolactic conversion happens in tank, softening the edges, before the wine settles into a mix of French and American oak barrels. That split is the secret to its character: French oak lends savoury spice and restraint, American oak brings the whisper of mocha and sweet vanilla.
About the Producer
Bellevue Wine
Bellevue is one of those estates that quietly changed South African wine. In 1953, when P.K. Morkel went looking for Gamay vines and couldn't find any, he took a punt on a new local cultivar called Pinotage, and planted some of the first commercial blocks anywhere in the country. Those gnarled bush vines are still producing today, more than seventy years on, twisted by decades of Cape sun and wind. Two centuries of family winemaking sit behind the label, but the philosophy is unfussy: good soils, minimal intervention, and a respect for the old vines that put this place on the map. The Atticus blend, named after one of the estate's prized Arabian stallions, is Bellevue at its most expressive.