Comparison
Red Bordeaux vs Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends
How Red Bordeaux and Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
Red Bordeaux and Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends are both made from Cabernet Sauvignon, so the difference is about place and winemaking rather than the grape. The main differences: Red Bordeaux has more spice; Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends has more fruit intensity; Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends has more texture.
The difference here is not botanical. It comes from where the vines grow, how the wine is made and what the name has come to signal commercially — which is exactly why the two taste different in practice.
Choose
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends
Choose Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends if you want something fruitier, rounder and creamier in texture.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Red Bordeaux is spicier: medium against low.
Fruit intensity
Clear differenceHow loudly the fruit flavours speak, independent of whether they are ripe or tart.
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends is fruitier: medium-plus against medium.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends is rounder and creamier in texture: medium-plus against medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Sweetness: Similar — both low.
- Acidity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Tannin: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Alcohol: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Body: Similar — both medium-plus.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Red Bordeaux | Stellenbosch Cabernet and Cape Bordeaux blends |
|---|---|---|
| Spice | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | low (1/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Texture | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Sweetness | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Body | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | medium (3/5) | medium (3/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Floral character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Herbal / green character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Earthy character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 16–18°C | 16–18°C |
| Typical flavours | blackcurrant, plum, cedar, graphite, tobacco | blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, fynbos, graphite |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
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