This paper presents an optical characterization of three bulk sphalerite Zn_1−xBe_xTe crystals grown by the modified high pressure Bridgman method. The study was conducted in the near-band-edge interband transition regime using low temperature photoluminescence (PL), temperature-dependent contactless electroreflectance (CER) and/or photoreflectance (PR) in the temperature range of 15–400 K, and surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) at room temperature. PL spectra at low temperatures of the samples investigated consist of an excitonic line, a band due to recombination of free electrons with holes located at shallow acceptors and a broad band related to recombination through deeper level defects. The band-edge excitonic transitions have been observed in the CER/PR spectra. The fundamental transition energies E₀ are determined via lineshape fits to the CER/PR spectra. The values of E₀ at room temperature obtained from CER/PR spectra correspond well to that determined from SPS measurements, and the Be contents x of the samples are determined using a linear equation which describes the room temperature band gap dependence on composition for the Zn_1−xBe_xTe alloy system. The parameters describing the temperature dependence of the band-edge excitonic transition energies are evaluated and discussed.