pee-noh-tahj
Pinotage is both a grape and triumphant milestone for South Africa. It is South Africa’s premier local grape – the only grape of international profile to have been created in the 20th century.
South Africa’s first ever viticulture professor and scientist Abraham Izak created Pinotage and the country’s winemakers put all their faith in the red grape.
A hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault grapes, Pinotage has captivated palates, sparked debates and challenged winemakers for many a vintage, still going strong in South Africa and drawing the collective attention of oenophiles searching for a wine to stun their palate.
around the world
Unlike one of its doting parents Pinot Noir, Pinotage isn’t as fussy to adapt to foreign soils and climates and in fact loves warm weather. However too much heat at the cusp of harvest can collapse the fruit’s character, leaving the winery with something that tastes of burnt rubber.
So obviously very few countries have successful Pinotage vintages. Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand and patches of California make a good pinotage but the best of it is still found in Stelenbosch, South Africa.
Tastes Like
Pinotage is bold and robust which is more than you can say for Pinot Noir and Cinsault which were combined to create it. Pinotage is not shy on the nose with lush and jammy notes buzzing up the nose and tasting the wine reveals a plethora of blackberry, passion fruit and plum, finishing with tannins that grip.
On the palate
Pinotage makes an impression with ripe dark fruits like cherry, plum and figs and coats the palate with earthy tannins.
Pairing Recommendations
Pinotage works best with food that reflects its style. So you can go with a whole range of smoked barbeque meats and veggies, preferably marinated in sauces that match the flavours of Pinotage. Rice dishes, especially biryani with gamey flavours would be a good match as would rustic pizzas with generous meaty toppings.
key styles
The Western Cape Pinotage, especially the Stellenbosh expression is regarded as the gold standard. Plenty of sunshine coupled with cool nights allow the Pinotage to take its time to evolve into rich character, yielding a wine steeped in ripe dark fruit and big tannins. It’s quite fascinating how the grapes are grown on wild bush vines that bring out the best in this singular South African original.
