The Wolftrap Red
£11.69
£15.59 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 6 bottles available
A Swartland-inspired blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and a whisper of Viognier from one of South Africa's most respected names. Dark brooding fruit, smoky spice and silky tannins at a midweek price, this is the bottle that punches three weight classes above what you paid for it.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
We keep coming back to The Wolftrap because it does something rare, it overdelivers, every time, without trying to be more than it is. There's a Boekenhoutskloof fingerprint here: the polish, the savoury Swartland edge, the way the Mourvèdre pulls the whole thing into focus. At this price, we don't know another South African red that gets close. It's our go-to recommendation for anyone dipping a toe into Cape reds, and the bottle we'd happily open on a Tuesday or set in front of guests on a Saturday. Quietly, it's become one of our most-ordered everyday reds.
Tasting Notes
Opulent and intense on the nose, with ripe dark fruit, plum, and lifted aromatics of clove, cardamom, black pepper and violet perfume. The palate delivers bramble, blackberry and liquorice woven with a savoury, almost biltong-like edge that gives the wine its distinctive character. A velvety mid-palate carries juicy cranberry brightness, while silky oak tannins and vibrant acidity hold everything in balance. Black olive tapenade and cassis linger on a smooth, round finish.
Dark Brooding Fruit
Ripe plum, blackberry and bramble form the wine's generous core, with cassis lingering through a long, layered finish.
Mediterranean Spice
Clove, cardamom and black pepper lift the nose, echoing through the palate with a warming fruitcake spiciness.
Savoury Swartland Edge
Olive tapenade, hints of raw biltong and smoky meatiness from Mourvèdre give the wine its distinctive, savoury complexity.
About This Wine
Boekenhoutskloof is one of those producers wine lovers say in a hushed tone, the team behind some of the Cape's most coveted Syrahs and Cabernets. The Wolftrap is their accessible side, and frankly, it's the bottle that introduces more UK drinkers to South African winemaking than almost any other.
The blend leans on three Mediterranean varieties: Syrah for red cherry lift and structure, Mourvèdre for its smoky, almost meaty depth and inky colour, and just a splash of Viognier to perfume the whole thing. Pour a glass and you get dark plum, blackberry and a whiff of cracked black pepper, with hints of cardamom, clove and that wonderful savoury edge South Africans recognise as biltong. The mid-palate is velvety and brooding, the oak silky rather than sawn, and there's a juicy cranberry brightness running right through to a smooth, lingering finish.
This is a wine that earns its place on the table any night of the week. Pair it with a charcoal-grilled ribeye, a slow-cooked lamb tagine, or a Sunday roast that's been in the oven all afternoon. Equally happy with a sharp Cheddar and a good film.
Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, and a brilliant introduction-gift for anyone who hasn't yet discovered what the Cape can do.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for slow-cooked, savoury food. The peppery spice and meaty depth handle a herb-crusted leg of lamb beautifully, while the bright cranberry lift cuts through the richness of a beef and red wine stew. For something simpler, char a few lamb chops on the grill or pour it alongside a board of cured meats and aged hard cheese.
- —Slow-roasted leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic
- —Beef and red wine stew with root vegetables
- —Char-grilled lamb chops with chimichurri
- —Charcuterie board with cured meats and aged Cheddar
- —Venison sausages with caramelised onion mash
How to Serve
Temperature
Cool room temperature. Pull from a cool cupboard about thirty minutes before serving to let it settle.
Decanting
Worth a thirty to forty-five minute decant in a wide-bottomed vessel. The Mourvèdre opens up considerably with air, releasing the violet, pepper and tapenade notes that make this blend tick.
Glass
A large Bordeaux or universal red glass, the wide bowl gives those layered aromatics room to lift.
Cellaring
Store on its side somewhere cool, dark and stable, between 12 and 16°C. Will hold and develop nicely for three to five years.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully now, with everything in place, fruit, spice, savoury depth and silky tannins. If you'd rather cellar it, expect three to five years of gentle evolution, with the primary fruit softening into more leathery, earthy complexity.
The Winemaking
A Mediterranean-minded blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre with a whisper of Viognier, drawn largely from Swartland fruit. Mourvèdre brings the backbone, thick-skinned, heat-hardy, full of smoky depth and meaty intensity, while Syrah layers in black fruit, spice, and a lift of red cherry and plum. The hand is deliberately light in the cellar, letting Swartland's wild character speak. Oak sits in the background, silky and integrated, framing the fruit rather than dressing it up.
About the Producer
Boekenhoutskloof
Boekenhoutskloof sits at the head of the Franschhoek Valley on a farm first granted in 1776, named for the indigenous Cape beech trees in the ravine behind it. The modern estate was reborn in 1993, when seven partners bought the property and set about rebuilding it, those are the seven Cape Dutch chairs you see on the label. Marc Kent took over the cellar in 1994 and turned Boekenhoutskloof into one of South Africa's most influential producers, picking up Diners Club Winemaker of the Year along the way. Gottfried Mocke now leads the winemaking. The Chocolate Block, first made in 2002, has become the estate's calling card, and a wine that introduced thousands of UK drinkers to what the Cape can really do.