‘In the Spotlight’: Pinotage – Yay or Nay?
With Pinotage day being tomorrow, we wanted to take this opportunity to delve into a the story of our proudly South African Pinotage grape varietal.
The Pinotage grape varietal is a cross between the Pinot Noir and Hermitage (otherwise known as Cinsault) grapes and came about through an experiment by Professor Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch university, in the 1920s, when he planted the cross in his garden. The concept was a great one; combining the best qualities of the robust Hermitage with the subdued elegance of a Pinot Noir, especially since Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to cultivate. After being forgotten for a while when Perold moved, the vines were rescued and replanted at Elsenburg Agricultural College, and the first Pinotage wine was made in 1941 at Elsenburg.
Since then, the grape has been widely cultivated around the South African wine regions, and even some regions in New Zealand and America. Notably, the first Pinotage producers in South Africa were Bellevue and Kanonkop, and other farms soon followed suit.
But it appears that a Pinotage wine really is loved or hated, there is no in-between. So, what is it about this varietal, and the resulting wine, that has many South African wine consumers in disagreement?
I have found that many South African Pinotage wines tend to be quite heavy and tannic wines, smoky and earthy in nature, with rather ‘interesting’ – to say the least – flavours of what many would describe as acetone or rust, which is not for the faint of heart, and certainly will not speak to everyone’s palate.
However, when we pivot away from the ‘commercialized’ Pinotage wines, and venture into more adventurous tasting of various styles of Pinotage, we find ourselves in a world where Pinotage is in fact a very enjoyable wine to drink. I know, if you are a current hater of Pinotage, trust me, this world does exist. Imagine an elegant, subtle wine, with a well-balanced mouthfeel, no overpowering tannings, and a pleasant yet subdued fruity component.
Have I got your mouth watering yet?
Well fear not, these wines are available. The Nieuwe Haarlem Pinotage, for instance, crafted by Erlank Erasmus, is a wine which is as elegant as it is flavourful. A beautiful wine to be paired with various meals such as red meat, roasted veggies or even a meatier fish (sounds like we’re braai ready). Or how about we kick it up a notch with the Deetlefs Estate Pinotage. A slightly bolder wine with more nuanced and powerful notes, although still an extremely well-balanced mouthfeel, with a fruit forward nature and well-integrated tannins. In fact, Deetlefs truly elevates the Pinotage with variations such as their Pinotage Rose and their one-of-a-kind white Pinotage MCC, made by 8th generation brothers Philip and Willem-Karel Deetlefs. Another estate which is renowned for their Pinotage is Lyngrove, where Danie van Tonder crafts an excellent representation of a Pinotage with the perfect balance of tannin and fruit, complex with a gorgeous mouthfeel and a lustrous lingering finish.
It appears the Pinotage grape has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, possibly also because it’s a bit of a tough nut to crack, and many winemakers will tell you it is a rather temperamental grape to work with. But oh, when they find a way to tame the beast, it presents us with a truly stunning wine to awake our senses.
So, for this Pinotage day, and of course any other day, let’s celebrate our very own Pinotage grape by giving it the chance to shine.
- Matt
- October 13, 2023
- 1:55 pm
- No Comments
Keep up to Date on our Socials
related stories
‘In the Spotlight’: The stage is set for Women’s month
‘IN THE SPOTLIGHT’: THE STAGE IS SET FOR WOMEN’S MONTH “Just because it’s made by a woman, doesn’t mean it’s good.” This was more or