The Den Pinotage
£12.79
£17.05 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 8 bottles available
Pinotage with a purpose. This Swartland red pours easy charm into the glass: ripe blueberry, plump mulberry and a whisper of milk chocolate over toasty wood. Medium-bodied, friendly and ready to pour tonight, it is the kind of bottle that wins over Pinotage sceptics. And every bottle helps protect Africa's endangered wild dog. A clever weeknight find.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We have a soft spot for The Den. Among everyday Pinotage, this is the one we keep recommending to people who think they don't like the grape, because the ripe blueberry fruit and soft chocolatey edge win them over every time. It punches well above its modest price, and the conservation story behind Painted Wolf makes it an easy, feel-good gift. Perfect for the cook who wants something reliable and characterful midweek, or anyone exploring Swartland for the first time. Stock is limited at the moment, so don't dawdle if you are curious.
Tasting Notes
Medium-bodied and welcoming, this leads with ripe blueberry and mulberry, the kind of dark, juicy fruit that fills the glass without ever turning jammy. A touch of milk chocolate softens the middle, while gentle toasty wood adds a warm, savoury edge that keeps things grounded. The finish is all about that berry fruit, lingering quietly rather than gripping, which makes it an easy, approachable Pinotage that drinks beautifully on its own.
About This Wine
Here is the Pinotage to reach for when you want South Africa in a glass without the heavy lifting. The Den is approachable, generous and quietly clever, the bottle that turns curious sippers into Pinotage fans before they have finished the first glass. Expect ripe blueberry and dark mulberry up front, a touch of milk chocolate softening the middle, and a gentle toasty warmth from time spent on French and American oak. It is medium-bodied rather than heavyweight, with berry fruit lingering long after the last sip. The fruit comes off low-yielding, mostly unirrigated vines around Voor Paardeberg and the wider Swartland, the warm, wild corner of the Cape where Pinotage really hits its stride. There is a story behind the label too. Painted Wolf was founded by Emma and Jeremy Borg, who built the winery partly to fund the protection of the African wild dog, one of the continent's most endangered creatures. So this is a bottle that gives something back, which makes it a thoughtful gift as much as an easy midweek pleasure. Serve it lightly cool with a Friday burger, a sticky barbecue, or a Sunday lamb roast. We deliver across the UK, usually within a few days, so it is simple to send a case to your door or someone else's.
Food Pairing
This is a wine for relaxed, hearty eating. Pour it alongside a Sunday roast of beef or a smoky barbecue, where the ripe berry fruit and that hint of chocolate sit happily next to charred, savoury flavours. It also handles a midweek sausage and mash with onion gravy effortlessly, and a wedge of mature Cheddar makes a simple, satisfying finish.
- —Char-grilled beef burgers with smoked Cheddar
- —Slow-cooked beef and ale stew
- —Pork sausages with mash and onion gravy
- —Barbecued lamb chops with rosemary
- —Mature Cheddar with chutney
How to Serve
Decanting
No need for a long decant. A quick splash into a decanter, or simply opening the bottle 15 to 20 minutes ahead, is enough to let the berry fruit and gentle chocolate notes open up.
Behind the Wine
Out on the warm shoulders of the Swartland and Voor Paardeberg, the growing season runs hot and dry. Long, sun-soaked days and cooling night air let Pinotage ripen fully while holding onto its berry brightness, and the largely unirrigated vines dig deep and yield little. The result is exactly what you find in the glass here: generously ripe blueberry and mulberry fruit, fleshed out but never jammy, with a friendly, fruit-forward character that defines Pinotage from this corner of the Cape.
Ageing Potential
This is built for drinking rather than long cellaring. It is showing well now and is best enjoyed within around four years of the vintage, while the ripe blueberry and mulberry fruit is fresh and forward. There is little to gain by holding it longer.
The Land
These grapes come mainly from Knollerfontein farm in the Voor Paardeberg, on the warm western fringe of the Cape, with Swartland fruit filling out the blend. The vines here are largely unirrigated and low-yielding, forced to send roots deep for water and concentrating their berries naturally. That struggle is what gives the wine its ripe, focused fruit.
The Winemaking
The approach here is honest and unfussy, built to let the fruit speak. Most of the grapes are destalked and fermented in tank rather than barrel, with French and American oak staves working through the wine. Malolactic fermentation and maturation are completed on those same staves, softening the wine's edges and folding in a gentle toasty, milk-chocolate warmth around the berry core. It is a method that keeps the wine approachable and medium-bodied, ready to enjoy young rather than locked away.
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
Painted Wolf
Painted Wolf takes its name, and its purpose, from one of Africa's most endangered predators: the African wild dog, known to conservationists as the painted wolf. It's an unusual starting point for a wine label, but once you understand the story, it makes perfect sense. Founded in Paarl in 2006 by Emma and Jeremy Borg, this is a producer built on the idea that good wine and good intentions aren't mutually exclusive.
Jeremy learned his craft the hard way, working harvests and cellars across the US, UK and South Africa, including a spell at Fairview just down the road in Paarl. That well-travelled apprenticeship shows in the wines: confident, well-made, and refreshingly free of pretension. The Borgs source their grapes widely across the Cape Winelands, with a particular focus on the Swartland and other Coastal region vineyards, giving them the flexibility to chase quality and character rather than being tied to a single estate.
What sets Painted Wolf apart, though, is the conservation thread running through everything they do. A portion of proceeds supports wild dog conservation and social upliftment projects, and the packageing itself tells that story, each wine a small act of storytelling as much as winemaking. It would be easy for that to feel like a marketing gimmick bolted onto an ordinary wine business. It doesn't. The commitment runs deep, and the wines back it up.
We stock Painted Wolf because they prove that a wine with a conscience doesn't have to compromise on drinkability. The Den range, their most approachable line, is exactly what its name suggests: soft, juicy, unfussy wines built for everyday drinking rather than the cellar. Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and a Pinotage Rosé all wear the Wine of Origin Western Cape or Swartland badge with quiet confidence, and all deliver more character than their easy-drinking style might suggest.
For UK customers curious about South African wine with genuine substance behind the label, Painted Wolf offers a way in that's both delicious and meaningful. It's a bottle you can open on a Tuesday and one you can talk about at a dinner party, which isn't a combination you find often.