Winners all!
Pinotage–the uniquely SA grape–is a cross between the robust Cinsault (known as Hermitage in SA then) and the finicky Pinot Noir grape. One would have thought that it would have inherited the best of both parents. But as is so often the case this is not so. Pinotage is completely its own creation, delicious, deeply interesting, it is made in a variety of styles all over the country, and is a must have component in so called Cape Blends. Single Pinotages are either wooded or not, but can never be accused of being shy. Alcohol is quite high, at times reaching 15%. Excellent food wines, like all of our reds, it should be served at European room temperature (about 16%) and benefits from decanting to release all those fabulous aromas. The area under Pinotage vines is now at 7.38% making it our third most planted red grape. Other countries have dabbled with it, like New Zealand and the USA but it is still to us it belongs—our thing. What does it taste like? Well a lot more like Shiraz than Pinot Noir, fruity, intense and delicious, with a maverick edge—very South African. Flavours of chocolate and coffee are sometimes apparent in some examples, but I say if you want chocolate, get some— and the same goes for coffee.
On the vine
The ABSA Top 10 Pinotage Competition is THE benchmark for all Pinotage wines. At the recent edition the following wines were voted tops by the judges.
Top 10 Pinotage Wines Vintage WO Winemaker
Beeslaar Pinotage 2020 Stellenbosch Abrie Beeslaar
Beyerskloof Winemak 2018 Stellenbosch Anri Truter
Flagstone Writer’s Block 2020 Breedekloof Gerhard Swart
Kanonkop Pinotage 2019 Simonsberg Abrie Beeslaar
Neil Ellis Bottelary Hills Pinotage 2018 Bottelary Warren Ellis
Brink Family Vineyards Pinotage 2019 Swartland Dewald Huisamen
Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2016 Tulbagh Adriaan Jacobs
Simonsig Redhill Pinotage 2019 Stellenbosch Michael Malan
Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage 2019 Voor-Paardeberg Matthew Copeland
Windmeul Reserve Pinotage 2019 Paarl Abraham van Heerden/Michael Kotze
The judges
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Vintage Class Wines Vintage WO Winemaker
Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2011 Stellenbosch Anri Truter
Hill & Dale Pinotage 2009 Stellenbosch Guy Webber
Lanzerac Pinotage 2001 Stellenbosch Wynand Lategan
Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Jon 2012 Jonkershoek Valley Warren Ellis
Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2012 Tulbagh Adriaan Jacobs
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