The Chocolate Block Wine
£28.00
£37.33 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 16 bottles available
93Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report)
93Tim Atkin MW (South Africa Report)
93Decanter (Sarah Ahmed)
92Tim Atkin MW
South Africa's most famous red blend, and for good reason. Syrah leads a Rhône-inspired cast of Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and a whisper of Viognier, all coaxed from Swartland's old bush vines. Dark berries, white pepper and that signature cocoa-dusted finish. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, delivered to your door across the UK.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We've sold a lot of South African reds over the years, and The Chocolate Block keeps earning its place, one of our most-ordered bottles, and the wine we hand to anyone asking where to start with Swartland. What separates it from the pack isn't the bold fruit; plenty of warm-climate reds offer that. It's the polish. The tannins have a velvety, almost powdery quality, and there's a savoury thread running underneath the dark berries that stops it ever feeling heavy. Perfect for a dinner party where you want zero risk and maximum appreciation.
Tasting Notes
A dense, layered nose of blackberry, blueberry and ripe bramble, threaded with black olive, lavender and a dusty, perfumed lift. White pepper and coriander seed add intrigue rather than heat. The palate carries that dark berry weight onto red liquorice and fresh cherry, broad through the mid-palate but never heavy, lively acidity keeps it focused. Velvety tannins have a fine, cacao-like grip, and the finish lingers on cherry tobacco and exotic spice, dry and pure.
About This Wine
If you've spent any time in a South African wine shop, you'll know The Chocolate Block. It's the bottle people point to when they want to impress without overthinking, the cult red from Boekenhoutskloof that's been quietly converting drinkers since it first appeared in the early 2000s. And yes, despite the name, there's no chocolate in the wine. The cocoa-dusted finish is all grape, all Swartland, all craftsmanship. The blend shifts every year, but Syrah always leads, joined by Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and a splash of Viognier. Each component is fermented separately before being assembled to reflect the season, a Rhône-style approach applied to South African fruit. Expect a generous nose of blackberry, blueberry and ripe bramble, lifted by white pepper, coriander seed and a hint of dried herbs. The palate is plush but precise: cherry, red liquorice, a savoury smokiness underneath, and tannins so fine they feel almost dusty on the finish. This is a wine built for the table. Pour it alongside a ribeye with peppercorn sauce, a slow-braised lamb shank, or a properly spiced bobotie. It'll see off a board of mature Cheddar and aged Gouda just as happily. And as a gift? Few South African bottles carry the same instant recognition, perfect for the wine-loving friend or the homesick expat. We ship across the UK, usually within a couple of working days.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for the table. The dark fruit and silky tannins make short work of charred lamb chops off the barbecue or a properly seared ribeye. Slow-cooked dishes are where it really sings, think braised oxtail, a lamb shank tagine, or a Sunday bobotie. For something simpler, a wedge of mature Cheddar with a slice of seeded bread will do nicely.
- —Charcoal-grilled lamb chops with rosemary
- —Wine-braised oxtail with mashed potato
- —Ribeye steak with green peppercorn sauce
- —Slow-cooked lamb shank tagine with apricots
- —Mature Cheddar with quince paste
How to Serve
Decanting
Worth a decant of around forty-five minutes to an hour. The wine is generous from the off, but air coaxes out the lavender and cherry tobacco notes and lets the tannins settle into their velvety best.
Behind the Wine
Swartland's growing season runs hot and dry, with old bush vines digging deep into weathered granite and shale to find moisture. Boekenhoutskloof draws from sites where low yields and cool nights toward harvest let the fruit hang long enough to develop real depth without losing freshness. That patient ripening is what gives this blend its plush dark-fruit core, its lift of pepper and spice, and the savoury edge that runs underneath everything.
Ageing Potential
Drinking beautifully on release, with the fruit, acidity and fine tannins to reward another five to six years in a cool, dark cupboard. With time, the primary berry fruit gives way to deeper notes of tobacco, leather and dried herbs, while the tannins soften further.
The Land
The fruit comes off weathered granite, shale and iron-rich koffieklip soils, where old, low-trained bush vines wrestle with heat and drought. That struggle is the point, small berries, thick skins, deep colour, and the savoury, mineral undertow that gives this blend its grip and lift.
The Winemaking
Each grape in the blend is treated as its own wine first. Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and a small splash of Viognier are fermented and matured separately, allowing each component to speak clearly before the final assembly. The proportions shift every harvest to reflect what the season delivered, that's why this wine never tastes identical twice. The result is a Rhône-leaning blend with silky, almost cacao-dusted tannins and a generous, food-friendly weight.
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
Boekenhoutskloof
Boekenhoutskloof sits at the head of the Franschhoek Valley on a farm first granted in 1776, named for the indigenous Cape beech trees in the ravine behind it. The modern estate was reborn in 1993, when seven partners bought the property and set about rebuilding it, those are the seven Cape Dutch chairs you see on the label. Marc Kent took over the cellar in 1994 and turned Boekenhoutskloof into one of South Africa's most influential producers, picking up Diners Club Winemaker of the Year along the way. Gottfried Mocke now leads the winemaking. The Chocolate Block, first made in 2002, has become the estate's calling card, and a wine that introduced thousands of UK drinkers to what the Cape can really do.