2021 Luddite Red Blend “Saboteur”, Bot River, South Africa

ABOUT THIS WINE

The Saboteur Red is Luddite’s renegade expression—a nonconformist blend that changes slightly each year depending on the character of the vintage. The 2021 edition combines Shiraz, Mourvèdre, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all dry-farmed and grown on shale and gravel soils in Bot River’s rugged hillsides. Grapes are hand-harvested, fermented spontaneously in open-top tanks, and aged for 12 months in seasoned French oak barrels to preserve fruit purity and raw texture.

The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, resulting in a dense, honest red with both structure and soul. With its dark fruit depth, leathery undertones, and rustic charm, this blend pairs effortlessly with flame-grilled meats, hearty stews, or aged hard cheeses.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Luddite Wines, founded in 1999 by Niels and Penny Verburg, is a small, fiercely independent family estate based in Bot River, a cool-climate region in South Africa’s Overberg. True to its name, Luddite embraces a low-tech, minimalist winemaking approach focused on authenticity, dry farming, and the unadorned expression of site and grape.

Best known for its powerful yet soulful Syrahs, the winery also produces the Saboteur range—an outlet for creativity and spontaneity that breaks from tradition. Farming is low-intervention, with a strong emphasis on biodiversity and soil health. In both philosophy and flavor, Luddite wines are raw, honest, and defiantly individual—a reflection of the land and the hands that craft them.