Ernst Gouws Pinot Noir
£11.99
£15.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 26 bottles available
South African Pinot Noir with real finesse, and at this price, it's a genuine find. Fresh raspberry and cherry lift, a silky texture, and a savoury finish of tobacco and wild mushroom that lingers beautifully. From hand-harvested Stellenbosch vineyards, this is elegant, food-friendly, and far more interesting than you'd expect under twelve pounds.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We listed this because it genuinely surprised us. South African Pinot Noir at this price point can be hit or miss, but Ernst Gouws gets it right, there's a delicacy here that feels almost Burgundian, without pretending to be something it's not. The savoury mushroom and tobacco finish is what keeps us coming back; it adds a complexity you simply don't expect for under twelve pounds. Perfect for the curious drinker who wants to explore beyond the usual Stellenbosch reds, or for anyone who loves Pinot Noir and fancies discovering a new corner of the grape's world. Drink it over the next few years, this is about pleasure now, not patience.
Tasting Notes
Translucent ruby in the glass, a hallmark of well-handled Pinot Noir. The nose opens with fresh raspberries and ripe cherries, lifted by a trace of tilled earth and gentle baking spice. On the palate, it's elegant rather than powerful: silky tannins carry layers of red fruit, strawberry and dark chocolate, while subtle oak brings cinnamon, clove and a whisper of vanilla. The finish is where things get interesting, tobacco leaf and wild mushroom linger, adding a savoury complexity that keeps you reaching for another sip.
About This Wine
Here's the thing about South African Pinot Noir, most people don't even know it exists. While Stellenbosch built its reputation on bold Cabernets and Pinotage, the cooler pockets of this mountain-fringed region quietly produce Pinot Noir of real elegance. And Ernst Gouws, with decades of winemaking experience stretching from Germany's Weinsberg to the cellars of Champagne and Bordeaux, knows exactly how to coax the best from it. Pour this and you'll see a translucent ruby that tells you straight away, this isn't a bruiser. It's all about finesse. Fresh raspberries and ripe cherry on the nose, with tilled earth and a whisper of baking spice beneath. The palate is silky and graceful, layered with dark chocolate and strawberry, while gentle oak brings cinnamon and vanilla warmth without ever shouting. The finish is where it really gets interesting: tobacco leaf and wild mushroom, savoury and lingering. This is a wine that loves food. Try it slightly cool alongside smoked salmon or trout, or let it shine with a charcuterie board, good ham, a rich pâté, some cornichons. It's equally brilliant with roast duck or a creamy mushroom risotto on a chilly evening. At under £12, delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, this is the kind of bottle that makes people rethink what South African wine can do. A thoughtful gift for anyone who loves Pinot Noir, or thinks they've tried it all.
Food Pairing
This is a beautifully delicate Pinot Noir that shines alongside lighter dishes. Try it with smoked trout or salmon, the silky texture mirrors the fish perfectly. It's equally at home with a charcuterie board loaded with good ham, pâté and cornichons, or a Sunday roast duck with cherry sauce. For a midweek supper, a simple mushroom risotto brings out that savoury finish brilliantly.
- —Smoked salmon or trout with crème fraîche
- —Charcuterie board with pâté and terrines
- —Roast duck with cherry sauce
- —Wild mushroom risotto
- —Herbed roast chicken with roasted root vegetables
How to Serve
Decanting
No need for a full decant. If you have time, pour into a carafe for 15–20 minutes, it helps the raspberry aromatics open up, but this drinks beautifully straight from the bottle too.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drink this over the next three to five years to enjoy its fresh fruit and silky texture at their best. It's not built for long cellaring, the charm here is youthful elegance, not development in bottle. That said, a year or two of careful storage will let the oak integration soften further.
The Land
The vineyards sit on Stellenbosch's granite and decomposed-granite soils, which provide excellent drainage and impart a subtle mineral backbone to the wine. Cooler sites within the region, benefiting from False Bay's maritime influence, are specifically chosen for Pinot Noir, a grape that demands restraint from its terroir. These conditions help preserve the natural acidity and delicate aromatics that define the variety at its best.
The Winemaking
This is a wine shaped by restraint rather than force. The Pinot Noir is hand-harvested from carefully selected Stellenbosch vineyards, then guided through a gentle winemaking process designed to preserve the grape's naturally delicate character. Oak plays a supporting role here, enough to thread clove, cinnamon, and vanilla through the fruit without masking it. The result is a wine with silky tannins and a layered palate where red cherry and strawberry sit alongside darker notes of chocolate and tobacco. It's elegant winemaking that lets the vineyard do the talking.
The Stellenbosch Region
Stellenbosch sits in the shadow of dramatic mountain ranges, barely fifty kilometres east of Cape Town. Cooling breezes sweep in from False Bay, tempering the summer heat and giving grapes the slow, even ripening that builds complexity. While the region built its reputation on bold Cabernets and Bordeaux blends, its cooler pockets, particularly those exposed to Atlantic influence, are proving increasingly hospitable to Pinot Noir. Granite-based soils add mineral depth, and the sheer diversity of mesoclimates across these mountain-fringed valleys means Stellenbosch can deliver finesse just as convincingly as power.
About the Producer
Ernst Gouws & Co
The Gouws family's roots in the Cape stretch back over three centuries, their ancestors arrived as French Huguenots in 1691. Ernst Gouws himself trained at Germany's Weinsberg Wine School in the 1970s before honing his craft in Champagne and Bordeaux through the 1980s. After fifteen years developing some of the Cape's most respected private estates, he established Ernst Gouws & Co in 2004, purchasing sixty-six hectares of land on the Stellenbosch Wine Route. It's a true family affair: wife Gwenda manages the commercial side, while daughter Ezanne and son Ernst Junior, both trained winemakers at Stellenbosch University, are carrying the family's winemaking tradition into its next generation. Ernst's philosophy is unashamedly French: the vineyard comes first. Every wine begins with the conviction that site and soil determine quality, and the winemaker's job is to honour that.