Peacock Wild Ferment Syrah
£11.59
£15.45 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 3 bottles left
Real, hand-crafted Syrah at a price that almost doesn't make sense. Grown on the cool, windswept Schapenberg above Stellenbosch, then fermented with wild yeast and barely touched. Expect bright cherry, plum and a twist of white pepper, with fresh acidity and food-friendly grip. A brilliant introduction to natural, minimal-intervention South African red.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
We rate this as one of the smartest buys in our South African range, and we don't say that lightly. Wild-yeast, whole-bunch, old-oak Syrah at this price usually means cut corners somewhere. Not here. What won us over was the freshness: that cool Schapenberg wind gives it a savoury, peppery lift you normally pay double for. It's the bottle we reach for when someone wants proof that natural, low-intervention reds needn't be expensive or eccentric. Stock moves quickly and we only get small quantities, so don't dawdle if you're curious.
Tasting Notes
A cool-climate Syrah that leads with lift rather than weight. The nose gives bright red cherry and plum, white pepper and a sweet, warming spice, with a thread of leather and earth underneath that signals real Schapenberg character. The palate is all fresh black fruit, firm and genuinely food-friendly tannins gripping a spicier mid-palate. Bright natural acidity keeps everything taut, carrying the ripe, savoury flavours into a long, sappy finish that leaves you reaching for the next sip.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that punches so far above its price it feels like a secret. The Peacock Wild Ferment Syrah comes off the Schapenberg, the coolest, most coastal corner of Stellenbosch, where constant ocean wind keeps yields low and ripening slow. That long, gentle hang time is exactly what gives this wine its poise: elegant tannins and a thread of fresh acidity that most affordable Syrah simply can't match. In the glass it's all bright red cherry and plum, lifted by white pepper and sweet spice. The palate turns to fresh black fruit with a savoury, almost gamey edge, firm food-friendly tannins, and a sappy, mouth-watering finish. Ripe but never heavy. This is Syrah with energy. The winemaking is refreshingly honest. Hand-harvested bunches are fermented spontaneously with wild yeast, whole-bunch, in open-top wooden fermenters, then aged in old French oak with nothing added but a touch of sulphur. It's vegan-friendly and made by Waterkloof cellarmaster Nadia Barnard, drawing on Schapenberg vines plus a portion from a biodynamically farmed site. Pour it with a venison or game casserole, a slow-cooked beef stew, or a peppered steak on a cold evening. It also makes a genuinely thoughtful gift for anyone who loves to discover wines off the beaten track. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, usually within a few working days.
Food Pairing
Built for the table, this wants something rich and savoury to push against its tannins and pepper. A venison casserole or slow-cooked game stew is the natural match, the wine's earthy side meeting the deep flavours head on. It also handles a herb-crusted rack of lamb, a board of cured meats and mature hard cheese, or, on a more relaxed night, a properly peppery pepperoni pizza.
- —Venison casserole with juniper and red wine
- —Slow-cooked game stew with root vegetables
- —Herb-crusted rack of lamb
- —Charcuterie board with cured meats and mature Cheddar
- —Pepperoni pizza
How to Serve
Decanting
Worth a decant of about 30 to 45 minutes. The whole-bunch, wild-ferment character and firm tannins open up with air, letting the pepper and red fruit lift while the structure softens slightly.
Behind the Wine
The Schapenberg sits where Stellenbosch runs out of land and meets the sea, and that changes everything. Constant coastal wind and maritime cooling slow ripening right down, so the Syrah hangs long on low-yielding vines and builds flavour without losing its nerve. Stellenbosch winters replenish the water reserves these mature vineyards rely on, and the cool, drawn-out season is what you taste later: bright natural acidity, elegant rather than heavy tannins, and a savoury freshness that keeps the ripe fruit honest.
Ageing Potential
This is built for early-to-mid-term drinking and is showing beautifully now. The fresh acidity and firm tannins will hold and gently soften over the next four to five years, the fruit easing into more leathery, savoury complexity. No need to wait, but no rush either.
The Land
Fruit comes from the coolest, most coastal corner of Stellenbosch, high on the windswept Schapenberg near the Helderberg. The relentless maritime wind and sea-tempered air keep crops small and ripening unhurried, while the surrounding fynbos-rich slopes lend the wine its earthy, savoury undertone. The result is Syrah with elegant tannins and a bright, food-friendly line of acidity.
The Winemaking
This is wine made by getting out of the way. Hand-harvested bunches from balanced, low-yielding Schapenberg Syrah are sorted and fermented whole-bunch in open-top wooden fermenters, left to start spontaneously on their own wild yeasts. That whole-bunch approach is where the white pepper lift and sappy, perfumed edge come from. Ageing follows in old French oak, chosen to season and soften rather than add vanilla, then a light filtration before bottling. No additions beyond a little sulphur, and it is vegan-friendly throughout.
About the Producer
False Bay
False Bay Vineyards is the more accessible sibling to Waterkloof, the celebrated biodynamic estate on the Schapenberg slopes. Both belong to Paul Boutinot, a winemaker who came south chasing a simple idea: that genuinely characterful wine shouldn't cost a fortune. False Bay was built to prove the point. Working with mature, naturally balanced vineyards along the cool Cape coast, the team can let the grapes do most of the talking, fermenting with wild yeasts, intervening only when absolutely necessary. The wines are made by Waterkloof's cellarmaster Nadia Barnard, whose deft hand keeps everything precise and honest. It's old-school craft at an unusually friendly price.