Here's a rosé that doesn't play by the usual rules. Most pink wines lean Provençal, pale, delicate, whisper-quiet. The Den takes South Africa's signature grape and turns it into something altogether more vivid: a rosé with proper fruit, proper character, and a smile on its face.
Expect a nose full of pineapple and ripe peach, with a squeeze of lemon zest cutting through. The palate is crisp and cleansing, melon and passion fruit upfront, then a snap of gooseberry and freshly cut grass on the finish that keeps you reaching for the next sip. It's pink without being precious, fruity without being sweet.
The wine comes from Painted Wolf, a small Swartland operation founded by Emma and Jeremy Borg with a brilliant dual mission: making honest wines from low-yielding, mostly unirrigated vineyards across the Cape, and channelling proceeds into conservation work for the endangered African wild dog. The grapes are picked carefully and handled gently, blanketed with CO2 through crushing and pressing to lock in every drop of fresh fruit character.
Serve it well-chilled with a summer salad, grilled prawns, or a plate of charcuterie on the patio. It's also a lovely thing to bring along to a barbecue, the kind of bottle that gets people asking what it is. We deliver across the UK, usually within a few days, so it can be on your table by the weekend. Sending it as a gift to a rosé-loving friend? You've just become their favourite person.
