Peacock Wild Ferment Merlot
£11.59
£15.45 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 5 bottles left
Schapenberg Merlot from one of Stellenbosch's coolest, most coastal corners, where ocean winds slow ripening and sharpen the tannins. Wild-yeast fermented in open wooden vats and rested in older barrels, this is supple, savoury, food-friendly red wine with proper Cape character. Honest, low-intervention winemaking at a price that quietly overdelivers.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Our Verdict
We list a lot of Merlot, and most of it falls into two camps: cheap and soupy, or expensive and serious. The Peacock sits in a third, much smaller camp: properly made, properly cool-climate, and properly priced. The Schapenberg fruit gives it the lift and grip that supermarket Merlot can only dream of, and the wild-yeast, old-barrel approach keeps it honest rather than glossy. One of our go-to recommendations for anyone who's written Merlot off and is ready to be quietly proved wrong. If you like this, the rest of the False Bay range is well worth a look.
Tasting Notes
Dense, youthful crimson in the glass, with a nose that leads on cassis and red cherry alongside a lifted herbal twist (think crushed bay leaf and a whisper of fynbos). The palate is fresh and supple rather than heavy, with bright red berry fruit carried by fine, finely-cut tannins. Wild yeast fermentation lends a savoury, slightly wild edge that lifts the fruit, and the coastal Schapenberg fingerprint shows in the cool, focused finish.
About This Wine
Here's a Merlot that does what good Merlot is supposed to do: charm you, feed you, and slip back into the glass without making a fuss. The grapes come from the Schapenberg, a windswept ridge in coastal Stellenbosch where the Atlantic cools things down, yields stay low, and ripening takes its time. The result is a wine with edge as well as warmth. Expect a deep, youthful colour and a nose of cassis, red cherry and a leafy, herbal lift that keeps things lively. On the palate it's fresh and supple: bright red berry fruit at the front, fine-grained tannins through the middle, and a savoury, almost graphite-like finish that quietly asks for food. This is the work of Nadia Barnard, cellarmaster at Waterkloof, with fruit from Schapenberg vineyards (and a slice from Waterkloof's own biodynamic blocks) hand-harvested, fermented spontaneously with wild yeast in open wooden vats, and aged in old barrels before a light filter and bottling. No additions beyond a touch of sulphur. Vegan friendly, sustainably farmed, and very much a wine of its place. Pour it with beef stew, lamb cobbler, a proper cottage pie, or, if you want to go full Cape, a spiced bobotie. Delivered across the UK, usually within 2-3 days, and a thoughtful, easy gift for any South African friend missing the Helderberg.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for proper comfort food. A slow-cooked beef stew, a lamb cobbler bubbling under its biscuit topping, or a classic bobotie all play beautifully with its fresh fruit and fine tannins. The herbal edge loves anything finished with rosemary or thyme, and there's enough freshness here to handle a midweek shepherd's pie just as happily as a Sunday roast.
- —Slow-cooked beef stew with root vegetables
- —Lamb cobbler with a herby scone topping
- —Bobotie with yellow rice and chutney
- —Roast lamb with rosemary and garlic
- —Mushroom and lentil ragu over pappardelle
How to Serve
Decanting
A short 20-30 minute decant is all this needs. It's a supple, fresh-styled Merlot, so the goal is gentle aeration to lift the aromatics, not to tame heavy tannins.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully on release, with the fruit fresh and the tannins already supple. Hold a bottle or two for the next 4 to 5 years if you like a touch more savoury complexity; the cassis fruit will soften into something more earthy and brambly with time.
The Land
Cool-coastal vineyards on the Schapenberg, perched above False Bay where constant sea winds keep yields naturally low and ripening unhurried. The result is Merlot with balanced sugars, brighter acidity, and the kind of fine-grained tannins that only emerge when the grape is allowed to take its time.
The Winemaking
Hand-harvested fruit is de-stemmed, sorted, then left to ferment spontaneously in open-top wooden vats. No cultured yeast, no shortcuts: just the wild flora living on the grape skins doing the work, which is what gives this Merlot its lifted aromatics and gentle savoury edge. Ageing happens in old barrels, so there's no overt oak influence, only soft integration and a polishing of the tannins. A light filtration before bottling, sulphur as the single addition, and a vegan-friendly result.
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.