The Goatfather
£16.49
£21.99 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 5 bottles left
An offer you won't want to refuse. Fairview's playful Italian-inspired blend brings Cape sunshine to classic Mediterranean grapes, with bright red berries, a whisper of cocoa and supple tannins. Medium-bodied and built for the table, it's the kind of bottle that turns a weeknight pasta into something worth lingering over. Delivered across the UK.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We have a soft spot for wines that deliver this much character for under twenty pounds, and The Goatfather is one we keep coming back to. Fairview could have made a safe crowd-pleaser; instead they made something with proper Italian-style structure, that firm tannin and zippy acidity begging for a tomato-rich plate of pasta. It's perfect for the midweek cook who wants restaurant-quality reds at home, and the label makes it a guaranteed smile as a gift. Stock is limited at the moment, so don't leave this one waiting. If you love it, Fairview's wider Goats do Roam range is well worth exploring too.
Tasting Notes
Pale crimson in the glass, with a Sangiovese-led lift of fresh red berries, a dusting of raw cocoa, and a whisper of dried Italian herbs that signals this is built for the table. The palate is medium-bodied and bright, red cherry and darker berry fruit framed by fine, savoury oak from time in seasoned barrels. Firm tannin gives it grip and fresh acidity keeps everything lively, so the finish stays smooth rather than heavy. An early-drinking style that always wants food.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is all the better for it. The Goatfather is Fairview's wink at the old country: a Cape take on the Italian playbook, led by cool-site Sangiovese and rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The result has genuine Mediterranean swagger, but with the ripe, sun-warmed generosity that only South African fruit delivers. In the glass it's a pale, inviting crimson. Expect fresh red berries, a dusting of raw cocoa and a savoury lift of dried Italian herbs. It's medium-bodied and smooth, with red and black berry fruit threaded through fine oak, firm tannins for grip and a fresh seam of acidity that keeps everything bright. That acidity is the secret: it makes this a food wine first and foremost. The components are fermented separately in stainless steel, then matured for fifteen months in French and American oak (mostly older barrels, so the wood frames the fruit rather than dominating it) before blending. Pour it with a slow ragu, a margherita straight from the oven, grilled halloumi or a spread of tapas. It's an everyday hero that punches well above its price, and with its cheeky label it makes a brilliantly fun gift for anyone who loves Italian food. We ship it to doorsteps right across the UK.
Food Pairing
This is a wine that comes alive with Italian and Mediterranean cooking. Pour it alongside a slow-simmered ragu over pappardelle, a charred aubergine parmigiana, or griddled halloumi with roasted peppers. The firm tannin and fresh acidity cut through tomato and olive oil beautifully, while a spread of tapas or a simple Margherita pizza makes it an easy midweek pleasure.
- —Slow-cooked beef ragu with pappardelle
- —Aubergine parmigiana
- —Griddled halloumi with roasted peppers
- —Margherita or salami pizza
- —Mediterranean vegetable and olive tapas
How to Serve
Decanting
A short decant of 20 to 30 minutes helps this Sangiovese-led blend open up and softens the firm tannin, though it is forward enough to enjoy straight from the bottle.
Behind the Wine
This corner of South Africa's Coastal Region is built for blending. Warm, dry summers ripen Cabernet and Merlot fully, while cooler mountain pockets and ocean breezes off the Atlantic keep acidity fresh and tannins fine. Fairview draws fruit from several sites and grape varieties rather than leaning on a single block, which is why the wine arrives medium-bodied, bright and supple year after year. The aim is a consistent house style: red-berry freshness and gentle structure, not vintage drama.
Ageing Potential
Made as an early-drinking style, this is at its best now and over the next four to six years. There is enough tannin and acidity to hold it together, but expect little dramatic change. Open it young while the red berry fruit is fresh and vivid.
The Land
The blend is a deliberate patchwork. Sangiovese comes from a cool mountain site in Paarl, where altitude keeps it bright and savoury. Cabernet Sauvignon is drawn from the warmer slopes of Stellenbosch for backbone, while the Merlot, from Darling and Stellenbosch, rounds everything with soft red fruit. Different aspects, different soils, one harmonious whole.
The Winemaking
Made with a light touch from the start. The grapes are de-stalked and gently crushed, then fermented in stainless steel to keep that fresh red-fruit lift intact. After malolactic fermentation, each component goes its own way into 225-litre barrels for fifteen months, a mix of French and American oak and mostly second to fourth fill, so the wood whispers rather than shouts. Only then are the parts blended and lightly filtered before bottling, leaving the savoury, herb-tinged character front and centre.
About the Producer
Fairview
Fairview is one of those Cape estates that refuses to sit still. Run by Charles Back, whose family has farmed this corner of Paarl for generations, it's built a reputation on curiosity rather than tradition for tradition's sake, planting Mediterranean varieties when nobody else would, making goat's cheese alongside the wine, and launching the cheeky Goats do Roam range that ruffled feathers in Châteauneuf and won hearts everywhere else. The wines reflect the man: serious about quality, allergic to pretension. Whether it's a benchmark Pinotage or a fortified curiosity like this one, you get the sense that someone genuinely enjoyed making it.