Ernst Gouws Pinotage
£11.99
£15.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 7 bottles available
Pinotage at its most welcoming, a bold, ruby-hued Stellenbosch red with wild bramble, ripe plum and a warming whisper of clove and anise. Smooth, generous tannins and a sweetly-fruited finish make this an easy doorway into South Africa's signature grape. Brilliant midweek, brilliant with curry, brilliant value.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
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Our Verdict
We poured this blind against half a dozen Stellenbosch Pinotages around the same price and it was the one that kept disappearing from the glass. What Ernst Gouws does brilliantly here is make Pinotage approachable without dumbing it down, the wild spice and bramble are all present, but the tannins are polished and the fruit feels genuinely fresh. It's our go-to recommendation for anyone curious about Pinotage for the first time, and a reliable midweek pour for those who already know they love it. Honest, characterful, properly South African, and remarkable value for what's in the bottle.
Tasting Notes
Bold ruby in the glass, with a nose that pulls you in: wild bramble, ripe plum, and a swirl of exotic spice, clove, sweet anise, and something that hints at baked Christmas cake and dried pears. The palate carries that warmth through, with red berry compote richness softened by ripe, well-managed tannins. There's structure here, but no rough edges. The finish lingers on sweet red fruit, which is Pinotage doing exactly what it should.
Wild bramble & plum
Dark, brambly fruit and ripe plum lead the charge, generous and juicy, with that unmistakable Stellenbosch sun-baked depth.
Clove & sweet anise
A warm spice profile reminiscent of a North African souk, clove, anise, and a hint of baked Christmas cake richness.
Dried pear & fruitcake
An unexpected layer of dried pear and dark fruitcake adds intrigue and gives the wine its festive, autumnal character.
About This Wine
If you've been curious about Pinotage but cautious about diving in, start here. Ernst Gouws has spent decades coaxing the best from Stellenbosch fruit, and this is his everyday calling card, a Pinotage with all the personality of the grape and none of the rough edges that put some drinkers off.
Expect a deep ruby pour and a nose that unfolds like a spice market: wild bramble and ripe plum out front, then exotic spice, dried pear, and a hint of baked Christmas cake lingering behind. The tannins are robust but ripe, giving structure without grip, and the finish drifts off on sweet red-berry compote. Classic Pinotage character, beautifully judged.
The grapes are hand-harvested from partner vineyards around Stellenbosch, the grape's spiritual home, where Mediterranean warmth is cooled by False Bay breezes. That balance shows in the glass: ripe and generous, but never heavy.
Serve it around 18°C. Pinotage's natural fruit sweetness makes it a star with spice, aromatic curry, biryani, even peppered squid with a hit of wasabi. Closer to home, it's made for bobotie, a slow-braised oxtail, or a Sunday roast lamb. Sending a taste of the Cape to a South African friend in the UK? This is exactly the kind of bottle they'll be hoping for, delivered to their door.
Food Pairing
This is Pinotage built for adventurous tables. The fruit-sweet finish makes it a brilliant foil for spice, aromatic curries, fragrant biryani, even peppered squid with a smear of wasabi. For something closer to home, lean into the savoury side: a slow-cooked oxtail, a traditional bobotie, or a tray of roasted ratatouille on a Sunday evening.
- —Slow-braised oxtail with red wine and root vegetables
- —Traditional South African bobotie with yellow rice
- —Aromatic lamb biryani or a fragrant Thai red curry
- —Roasted ratatouille with crusty bread
- —Peppered squid with wasabi mayonnaise
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature, around 18°C. If your kitchen runs warm, give it twenty minutes in the fridge before opening.
Decanting
Not essential, but a thirty-minute decant or a vigorous swirl in a wide glass helps the exotic spice notes lift and the bramble fruit settle into focus.
Glass
A medium-to-large bowled red wine glass, something Burgundy-shaped works beautifully, giving the aromatics room to unfurl.
Cellaring
Best enjoyed in its youthful, fruit-forward prime. Store on its side somewhere cool and dark if you're holding it for a few months.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drink now and over the next two to three years. This is a Pinotage made for early enjoyment, the fruit is generous, the tannins are already approachable, and there's no need to put it away. Pull the cork, pour, and pass it round.
The Land
Pinotage was born here, crossed at Stellenbosch University in 1925 from Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, and the district remains its spiritual home. Decomposed granite and weathered shale soils, combined with maritime-cooled afternoons, give Stellenbosch Pinotage its trademark balance of ripe dark fruit and savoury structure.
The Winemaking
Grapes are hand-harvested from selected Stellenbosch sites, then vinified with a light touch designed to let varietal character speak rather than winemaking technique. The fruit is coaxed into a bold ruby wine with ripe yet structured tannins, firm enough to give the wine shape, polished enough to avoid any rough edges. The result is generous Pinotage with a sweet-fruited finish and that signature whiff of clove and exotic spice running through it.
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.