Imagine Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein making a baby. Would it be a perfect child? What if Pinot Noir was crossed with Cinsaut, would the result be a perfect grape?
We all know that’s not the way nature works. Yet many winegrowers have tried to cross two grapes in search of the perfect grape. Most have failed. Pinotage is a rare example of successful breeding; A grape combining the best characteristics of mum and dad, created by a professor in 1925 at Stellenbosch University. The idea was to cross the diva grape Pinot Noir that give Holy Grail associations to wine lovers all over the world, with a working horse and high yielding grape – namely Hermitage (Cinsaut). The baby was named after its mother and father; Pinotage. Today it’s one of South Africa’s national treasures.
Unfashionable led to uprooting
The story of the Pinotage grape continues like story of the ugly duckling. In the beginning this robust and early-ripening grape tempted local farmers to overplant and maximize the yield from the newcomer. Combined with a lack of knowledge how to handle Pinotage in the cellar, this resulted in wine of lower quality with acetone-like aromas. Most of the production was used for bulk and cheap table wine. A bad reputation was to bedevil Pinotage wines for decades. When a group of visiting British Wine Masters described Pinotage as “hot and horrible” during a tasting in 1976, the local wine makers decided to uproot most of the Pinotage vines and replace them with international, popular grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Perfecting untapped potential
Then something changed. A few visionary wine makers unveiled the potential of the misunderstood grape. By keeping the yields low and experimenting with modern wine making technology, they succeeded bringing forth the best in Pinotage and made it shine. In 1991 Beyerskloof’s cellar master Beyers Truter won a prestigious international wine competition with Pinotage and thereby put South Africa and its indigenous grape on the international wine map. Beyerskloof Wine Estate has since won many national and international awards for its high-quality Pinotage wines, and Beyers earned the reputation as “the king of Pinotage”.
After seventy years, South Africa’s ugly duckling grape turned into a beautiful swan and Pinotage finally received the appraisal it deserved.
The taste of Pinotage
Deep, intense ruby color. Oddly enough, Pinotage tastes nothing like either of its parental grapes. Good Pinotage smells and tastes of blackberry, black and red cherry, fig, tobacco and menthol. It’s juicy with high alcohol and tannin. It also makes delicious rosé wines with notes of strawberry, pink grapefruit, mint and just the right weight.
Beyerskloof Cape Blend. 2019
Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa
Grapes: Pinotage 41%, Cabernet Sauvignon 22%, Merlot 16%, Cabernet Franc 9%, Shiraz 6%
Kr 234 at Vinmonopolet A fairytale mixture of red grapes.
Beyerskloof Chenin Blanc Pinotage. 2019
Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa
Grapes: Pinotage 25%, Chenin Blanc 75%
Kr 190 at Vinmonopolet A white wine partly made of red grapes. Expect tropical fruits, grapefruit and a hint of red chilli.
Backsberg Pinotage Rosé
Paarl, Coastal Region, South Africa
Grape: Pinotage 100%
Kr 179 at Vinmonopolet. Juicy happy water! Beautiful layers of strawberry, orange peel and a touch of tannin. Read my full taste note here
Wine is business
Read the fascinating story about how two, young entrepreneurs literally stumbled over Beyerskloof and became their agent importing their wine to Norway SHE Community
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