This year’s International Pinotage Day, the second Saturday in October, marks an extra-special celebration for the grape, as it turns 100 years old (although the jury is out on whether the centenary reflects the date of crossing or planting (see below)).

Back in 1924, Professor Abraham Izak Perold of Stellenbosch University crossed Cinsault (then often referred to as Hermitage) and Pinot Noir, planting the first seeds the following year. The variety now makes up around 6% of vine plantings in South Africa.

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It’s a grape that has had a bad (ahem…) press over the years, with some critics dismissing its wines as bitter, boozy and with a burnt rubber undertone. But increasingly there are great examples which ‘put the Pinot into Pinotage’, according to Decanter’s South Africa Editor Julie Sheppard. Some of the most highly-prized expressions come from old, low-yielding bush vines.

A single-varietal red wine may showcase plum, strawberry, red and black cherry and blackberry, sometimes with a hint of banana. Spice, chocolate, smoke and coffee notes can develop with oak-ageing. It’s also a variety used to make fruit-forward rosés.

The grape has become synonymous with the term ‘Cape blend’, establishing itself as the USP of South Africa’s red blends. Proportions used in the mix vary widely – from 30% to 70% – and since 2019 there has been a requirement for Pinotage to be the major component.

Outside South Africa, small amounts are grown in other wine producing regions including California, New Zealand, Australia and even England.

Pinotage is a great match for barbecued meat, burgers, venison, beef stews and heartier vegetable dishes such as spiced, stuffed aubergine and mushrooms.

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Jason Millar, Andy Howard MW and Roger Jones tasted 43 wines, with 2 Outstanding and 13 Highly recommended

South Africa Cape red Pinotage blends: Panel tasting scores

43 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 2

Highly recommended 13

Recommended 23

Commended 5

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit the latest vintage release of their premium Cape red blends containing Pinotage

Scroll down to see the top-scoring wines from the South Africa Cape red Pinotage blends panel tasting

Idiosyncratric and historic

This was a small but illuminating tasting of a category that harks back to the turn of the century.

At that time, South Africa’s winemakers were searching for a uniquely Cape-accented answer to internationally popular Bordeaux and Rhône blends.

Naturally, they turned to Pinotage – a variety created in, and then almost exclusively sold to, the Cape – which provided a way to distinguish South Africa’s red blends from those of other regions.

Pinotage is a tricky grape that has struggled to find its identity as a varietal wine, but our tasting suggested that it does work well in a blend.

‘Many of the wines were improved by having Pinotage,’ Roger Jones observed. ‘Blending may be a good way forward for the variety.’

However, with proportions of Pinotage ranging from 97% to 10% in our tasting, Cape blends vary widely in composition.

The two Outstanding wines reflected this diversity. In ArtiSons’ JJ Hand Made Wines’ Eight Pillars, Pinotage plays a minor role alongside seven other varieties, acting as a welcome seasoning in a rich, layered wine, adding woodsmoke and meaty savour.

In contrast, the Orpheus & The Raven No42 features Pinotage as 51% of the blend, alongside its parent varieties Pinot Noir and Cinsault, in a style that emphasises perfume and delicate fruit.

Among the Highly recommended wines, Pinotage was almost always the dominant variety, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot as popular blending partners.

Most wines were aged in barrel, though Andy Howard highlighted the ‘surprisingly restrained oak’ in the best examples.

Regardless of the specific blend, the category showed a broadly consistent style – marked by generous dark fruit, savoury spice and sweet oak.

Yet the best examples impressed the judges with their finesse and assured winemaking. As Howard concluded: ‘There is a much more refined character to many of these wines than might be expected.’

What to eat with South Africa Cape red Pinotage blends, by Fiona Beckett 

It’s hard to avoid the clichés when it comes to Pinotage, even in a blend. 

The most obvious answer is a braai, as South Africa’s distinctive barbecue cooking is known, and of course that’s spot on, particularly where the more full-bodied styles are concerned. They can absolutely handle the Cape Malay spicing. 

Where else could you take them? Well, India for a start. In fact ArtiSons, the producer of one of our Outstanding wines, specifically recommends north Indian curries, and I’d be tempted to add a raan (spiced roast leg of lamb). 

Other styles of barbecue are another obvious go-to – anything slow braised and cooked in a pit would work. Or, more conventionally, in a casserole – fashionable ox cheek for instance. 

You could also enjoy these wines with meaty pizzas and flatbreads, such as Turkish lamb-stuffed lahmacun. 

More simply, they’ll be spot on with a steak or a Sunday roast, and, it goes without saying, with cheese, including challenging washed rind cheeses and punchy blues. Open a bottle with your next cheeseboard.

South Africa Cape red blends panel tasting results

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Jason Millar is a freelance wine writer, consultant, judge and communicator, with a focus on Italy and South Africa. He has a background in buying, importing and sales, and in 2016 was the top WSET Diploma graduate worldwide

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. Formerly a long-serving retail wine buyer, he now runs

his own consultancy, Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. He is now a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular interest in the hospitality trade, as well as helping charities. He is a DWWA judge, with a focus on New World regions

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Anyone tracking the story of South African wine is aware of the winemaking revolution that has swept the Cape over the last decade or more.

After a period when the anticipated ‘breakout’ moment looked like it would never happen, the dam has now well and truly broken.

South Africa’s winemaking scene is one that has been transformed. It is exciting. And it is vibrant.

And caught up in that – though not to much fanfare – has been a grape that celebrated its centenary this year – Pinotage.

Scroll down for seven (mostly South African) Pinotage to try

Obscure beginnings

Pinotage is a man-made crossing of two Vitis vinifera, Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Cinsault was known in South Africa as ‘Hermitage’ – a nod to its southern French roots – creating the portmanteau name ‘Pino-tage’.

The man who brought these two varieties together in 1924 was Abraham Isak Perold, a professor at the University of Stellenbosch.

Taking up a new post, Perold left his new crossings growing in the university garden where they were later rescued by a colleague.

Gradually, the plants were grafted to rootstocks and propagated, with the first vineyard being planted in Myrtle Grove near Sir Lowry’s Pass.

The famous Kanonkop estate had its first Pinotage plantings by 1941, but it is the Lanzerac estate that claims the first commercial bottling of Pinotage – with the grape’s name on the label – in 1959.

Nature vs nurture

Initial outsider reactions to Pinotage were not very positive and subsequent incarnations didn’t do much to help it make friends.

Like all children, Pinotage inherited as many bad traits from its parents as it did good. For example, it is vigorous and likes the heat, but can quickly become too ripe in sugar before it’s physiologically ripe if there are no cooling influences, or if there is no guiding hand to curb this tendency.

It’s a relatively low maintenance variety in the vineyard but very high maintenance in the winery, with an aptitude to develop paint-like aromas and volatile acidity very easily if not properly handled.

But nurture also played its part in Pinotage’s dismal international debut. The late 1990s and early 2000s was the age of big reds, of long hang times, maximum ripeness, maximum extraction and lashings of new oak.

With thick skins, Pinotage was capable of giving a lot of colour and tannins through extraction. Full of sugar, it could achieve very high alcohol.

But if it was picked before it reached full phenolic ripeness, then its tannins and flavours would be green and underripe.

Flabby, alcoholic, overly-tannic, with rampant green flavours, volatile acidity and South Africa’s old problem of smokey, rubbery aromas in red wine arising from virused vine material, made a lot of early Pinotage a potent witch’s brew.

The lost varieties

Pinotage is the classic example of an ‘after-thought grape’, planted in the wrong places, vinified in the wrong way and demonised as a result.

Grenache, Gamay, Bobál, País, Carmenère, are among a host of fellow grape varieties sacrificed on stylistic altars that rendered them cheap, dull and nasty.

Even a grape as hallowed as Chardonnay spent time in the wilderness as a by-word for kitsch, vanilla-flavoured naffness.

But, while these grapes have all been successfully rehabilitated, finding renewed success and acclaim thanks to more sensitive winemaking, Pinotage continues to carry its stigma among many critics.

Reinvention and redemption

There is no denying that criticism of Pinotage was once warranted. But continued criticism is increasingly out of step with the reality of the state of the grape today.

Recent years have seen a complete transformation in how Pinotage is approached from vine to bottle. Old bush vines help to curb its overripeness, and more careful extraction avoids excessive, bitter tannins.

It should be a surprise to no-one that approaching Pinotage more sympathetically, and playing to what it does well, has done wonders for its qualitative output.

And there is a wide spectrum of styles to be explored too. Pinotage can be plummy, structured and full-bodied, and capable of ageing – as a 1994 KWV Pinotage I once tried amply showed.

Many of the classic Cape estates of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl lean towards this style; Kanonkop being a prime example.

On the other hand Pinotage can also be bright and succulent, with the kind of sappy, crunchy red fruits and lissom, gouléyant silkiness that all the cool kids yearn for – look out for the likes of Natte Vallej, Scions of Sinai, David & Nadia Sadie etc.

And in-between there’s a growing array of medium to full-bodied that are well made, very drinkable and priced very well. The sort of wines you’d sit alongside your ‘casual’ or ‘BBQ’ choices such as Malbec or Shiraz.

The House of Pinotage

There’s no argument that Pinotage didn’t deserve the early criticism. There are still poor examples being made (as with every grape), though most, I would argue, are just dull or lazily made rather than truly faulty.

And it’s probably not a variety that will ever quite hit the upper levels of refinement and sophistication of the truly noble grape houses. Pinotage is very much a minor cadet of the House of Pinot.

But the notion that it is inherently bad is simply false. Those who’ve taken the time to watch Pinotage’s evolution have been banging this drum for a while as per this Decanter article from 2016.

And it’s telling that, far from being relegated to the realm of a ‘supermarket’ wine, Pinotage from the very best producers are an increasingly common sight in trendy independent merchants and even, on occasion, smart fine wine merchants too.

It may have taken a century or so to get there but Pinotage is coming good.

A Ukrainian anomaly

It would probably be true to say that 99% (and a smidge more) of Pinotage plantings are in South Africa.

Aside from a smattering of vineyards hither and yon around the world, few countries have taken to the variety with any gusto. And after its initial introduction to the world stage, this isn’t particularly surprising.

But it does occasionally crop up in surprising places – and one of those is Ukraine. The Beykush Winery on the shores of the Black Sea has planted some and, honestly, has given it a good crack.

I liked the bright, juicy red berry fruit. It was plump and smoothly pulled together, with fine tannins and good acidity, with perhaps just a touch of bitter astringency on the finish. It even won a Bronze at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.

One to watch.

Seven Pinotage to try

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A crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir, Pinotage is a red grape variety developed in South Africa in 1924, but it was not until the late 1980s that it began to gain recognition internationally.

Predominantly grown and vinified in South Africa, when produced well, Pinotage displays a range of red and black fruits like plum, currants, cherry and blackberry, banana and herbaceous characters, gaining additional complexity when aged in oak with notes of smoke, spice and chocolate.

Scroll down to discover 6 Pinotage wines to try from DWWA 2024

Produced as a varietal wine or as part of a blend, to celebrate this uniquely South African variety, we highlight awarded examples from the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) – tasted and assessed by some of the world’s top wine experts, including South Africa Regional Chair Fiona McDonald.

On this, McDonald commented, ‘A DWWA medal is one that has genuine merit and value, because the level of assessment is so considered. People who judge here are experts in their field, experts in the specific country that they are judging. They know the ins and outs of the various regions, the price points, wine styles and so to get a Gold, a Platinum or even a Silver medal – the weighting of that is much heavier than it is for other similar competitions.’

Now in its tenth year, International Pinotage Day is celebrated annually on the second Saturday in October. To celebrate, discover 6 Pinotage wines which impressed most from the 2024 competition, with more to search at awards.decanter.com

Award-winning wines to celebrate International Pinotage Day

KWV, The Mentors Perold, Coastal Region 2021

Gold, 95 points

40% Pinotage, 30% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon

Sensational ripe dark fruits and clove spices pervade the sumptuous, plush texture and core of oaky tannins. Structural perfection with a wonderful fruit purity to end. Alcohol 14.5%

Neethlingshof Estate, The Owl Post Pinotage, Stellenbosch 2021

Silver, 94 points

100% Pinotage

Bright floral notes, pure plum with hints of smoke and banana. Fine grained tannins with concentrated fruit on the palate. Energetic acidity. Alc 14%

Bellingham, The Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage, Coastal Region 2021

Silver, 92 points

100% Pinotage

Caramelised cherry, milk chocolate with a hint of butcher’s spice aromas. Lovely polished palate, opulent with cocoa powder and spice adding interest. Alc 14%

Bellingham, The Founder’s Series Pod, Coastal Region 2021

Silver, 92 points

60% Pinotage, 40% Shiraz

Ripe plum, toasty coffee and liquorice spice aromas. Varietal tarry notes on the palate, yet beautiful energic line lifted by violet fragrance. Alc 14%

Asda, Nice Drop of Pinotage, Western Cape 2023

Silver, 91 points

100% Pinotage

Raspberry, cranberry with subtle oak spice perfume. Zesty acidity and well defined tannin structure. Poised and elegant with lingering finish. Alc 11%

Du Toitskloof Wines, Granite Pinotage, Malmesbury, Swartland 2021

Silver, 90 points

100% Pinotage

Crushed plum, cherries with a hint of smoke. Vibrancy, purity and freshness on the palate with notes of liquorice, cloves and caramel. Alc 14%

Search all DWWA 2024 results

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‘If you don’t like Pinotage, crucify the producer, not the variety,’ advised Johann Kriege.

Not one person gathered at London’s 67 Pall Mall would have been game enough to do that to the co-owner of Kanonkop Wine Estate. Certainly not after the landmark 13-vintage vertical of its iconic Black Label Pinotage.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of the complete 13-wine vertical of Kanonkop’s Black Label Pinotage, plus two Estate Pinotage wines

It was the first time the complete set of wines, first made in 2006, was presented to the public, in characteristic modesty by winemaker Abrie Beeslaar. ‘We are very unpretentious at Kanonkop,’ Beeslaar said. ‘We don’t have a cellar like Bordeaux.’

‘Black Label developed from the soil upwards. Not the boardroom downwards. The vineyards showed me what to do. This is the root of Black Label.’

‘This wine is unique – not necessarily better than the Estate Pinotage we were already making – but I just wanted to show people what old-vine Pinotage tasted like. A quality red wine that also happens to be Pinotage.’

It’s fair to say Pinotage has had a bit of a bad rap – and in the beginning this included winemakers as well as consumers.

‘A lot of people hated it,’ said Beeslaar. ‘Only a few, like Beyers Truter {Beeslaar’s predecessor at Kanonkop], stuck with it. Pinotage is a challenging bugger: the highest pH, the fastest ripening, the fastest fermenter…

‘God created perfect fruit, but we messed it up in the cellar in the 1990s. We had our own idea of what we thought was a South African wine style, but we didn’t understand Pinotage in those days,’ he added.

That, and the ‘reality’ of leafroll virus, contributed to Pinotage’s reputation as a simple, rustic Cape red, often with a rubbery, bitter taste. Kanonkop, through Truter – known as Mr Pinotage – and now Beeslaar, have been at the forefront of the variety’s turnaround.

The birth of Black Label Pinotage

A crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir created in 1924, Pinotage was first planted by Kanonkop in 1953 (Block 202) and its first commercial wine was released 20 years later.

This original 3.8ha low-lying vineyard of dry-farmed bushvines – the only ones on the farm planted on a northern slope – are among the oldest Pinotage vines in the Cape, now 69 years old.

Because Kriege ‘didn’t believe in doing a family reserve or cellarmaster reserve‘, these old vines were blended into Kanonkop’s Estate Pinotage.

But Beeslaar, who joined Kanonkop in 2002 and took over from Truter in 2003, convinced the Krieges (Johann and brother Paul) to ‘do something special’ with the vineyard.

In each of 2006, 2007 and 2008, 1,000 bottles were made from these vines and the quality was soon realised. Black Label was born.

Sadly the financial crisis hit in 2009 and that vintage was skipped. But there has been a release every year since, producing just 7,000 to 8,000 bottles. Between 12,000 and 15,000 six-bottle cases are made each vintage of the Estate Pinotage.

Since the first release in 2006, Black Label has been aged between 16 and 18 months in 80% new oak. ‘But you can see that in the older wines it doesn’t show,’ Beeslaar asserted. ‘The winemaker’s thumbprint should never be left on the wine. We always try to show the terroir first.’

The spoken word

Johann Kriege on wine pairing: ’The best food and wine match I’ve ever had for Pinotage was deep-fried squid heads and wasabi. Pinotage can handle heat and spice where other reds can’t.’

Abrie Beeslaar on new oak: ‘Winemakers are moving away from oak because they want consumers to drink their wines earlier. The only people who don’t use new oak either can’t handle it or can’t afford it. Oak adds value to the final product.’

Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage: a complete 13-vintage vertical

NB: the 2009 vintage was not made

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South African Pinotage: panel tasting results

Cinsault: South Africa’s new star from old vines

Greg Sherwood MW, Victoria Mason and Roger Jones tasted 142 wines, yielding an impressive seven Outstanding and 69 Highly Recommended.

The Pinotage panel tasting scores

142 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 7

Highly recommended 69

Recommended 59

Commended 7

Fair 0

Poor 0

Faulty 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release 100% Pinotage still red wines from any region in South Africa.

The cliché of Pinotage being a real ‘Marmite’ wine is definitely starting to fade as more producers continue to craft high-quality wines. More than anything, thanks to wide-scale plantings and parcels of older vines, Pinotage wines exude a true sense of place, with the best examples grown on all three of South Africa’s main soil types; ancient sandstone, shale, and decomposed granite.

Scroll down for the top-scoring Pinotage tasting notes and scores

Pinotage, like Chardonnay, allows a winemaker to make their personal mark stylistically. But the variety’s true strengths and unique selling points include being able to make a host of dry red styles – wines with a lot of upfront juicy fruit that also possess excellent medium- to long-term ageing ability.

Decanter’s first Pinotage panel tasting was held back in 1999. With an impressive 142 entries on this occasion, our panel’s hopes were for a real diversity of styles and a vast improvement in quality. After two full days of tasting, Victoria Mason said her expectations were more than fulfilled. She felt that, from the light and subtle to the bold and the powerful, Pinotage was capable of creating delicious wines made in very different ways: ‘Picked early to ensure lower alcohol levels and superb freshness, or picked later at 14%-15% alcohol, Pinotage has the ability to carry both the ripeness and alcohol with harmony and balance on the palate with relative ease.’

Roger Jones flew the flag for the ‘crowd-pleasers’, saying they ‘should not be dismissed for highlighting the chocolate and espresso fruit-bomb style that so many consumers continue to seek out and enjoy’.

Mason had this to add: ‘A thread that ran through almost all of the wines – and which we all commented on numerous times – was the refreshing acidity which brought balance to concentrated, sweet fruit and higher alcohol levels.’ Jones was also keen to point out the influence of regionality on the wines’ quality and style. While Swartland produced wines with ‘spice, texture and a dark bramble wildness’, he found Stellenbosch and the Cape South Coast, including Elgin and Cape Agulhas, ‘delivered refined, elegant styles that were more gentle on the fruit’.

Mason agreed: ‘The alcohol levels were typically lower and the acidity almost bracing, which made for such drinkable, moreish wines – wines that closely resemble their Pinot Noir and Cinsault heritage and redefine the old-fashioned view of what Pinotage is.’

While the judges found a few wines overextracted and overblown, they were generally impressed by the oak handling. Mason said: ‘The tasting demonstrated time and again that Pinotage shows a natural affinity to generous oak treatment – both French and American – and that it is equally at ease unoaked or aged in large, old oak.’

It was fabulous to try such a diverse range of Pinotage wines and to experience how far these wines have evolved quality-wise. All judges agreed there were two dominant styles, and whether you like the light and subtle, or the bold and powerful, quality and refinement shone through in the top examples.

See the top-scoring Pinotage wines from the panel tasting:

The judges

Greg Sherwood MW is a London-based South African Master of Wine and fine wine buyer at Handford Wines. He publishes his Fine Wine Safari blog at gregsherwoodmw.com, and was the DWWA 2021 Regional Chair for South Africa.

Roger Jones is the retired former owner of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn restaurant in Wiltshire. Now busy as a wine writer, judge and consultant with a particular focus on the hospitality trade, as well as helping charities, he was a DWWA 2021 judge for Australia and South Africa.

Victoria Mason is a wine buyer for UK supermarket Waitrose, responsible for sourcing its South African range since 2016. First a DWWA judge in 2019, she has focused on the South Africa category in the last two years.

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Pinotage to change your mind

South Africa’s premium traditional-method sparkling – Cap Classique – marks its half-century this year, first made at Simonsig in 1971.

Simonsig’s winemaker Johan Malan (son of Frans Malan, who made that first wine, see below) joined Pieter Ferreira, the winemaker at Graham Beck and chair of the Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA), and five other producers to celebrate the anniversary in an online tasting.

Scroll down for tasting notes of Cap Classique wines to try

‘Cap Classique has a place among the world’s best sparkling wines,’ says Ferreira. ‘The challenge is getting the Cap Classique name better known and promoting the class and quality of our product.’

‘The sweet spot is above Prosecco but below Champagne and English Sparkling Wine,’ he explains. ‘Between £15 and £25 South Africa can own this category in traditional-method sparkling. But we need to remain aspirational – a wine style that punches above its weight for the price.’

Malan agrees: ‘My fear is that we end up where Cava is. We need to be premium from the start.’

‘We are not making a copy of Champagne,’ Malan adds. ‘We’re making a sparkling wine that tells the story of its South African origin. Of course you need the freshness and acidity, but we have sunshine in the Cape, so you have to be able to taste that sunshine in Cap Classique.’

What is Cap Classique?

Today, there are 84 members of the CCPA. Formed in 1992, it was the first organisation of its kind in South Africa to represent a specific wine style. It differentiates the members’ premium product from the huge volume of cheap tank-fermented and carbonated bubbly produced in the country.

Members of the CCPA produce 9.25 million bottles annually of their traditional-method sparkling. That’s small fry when you compare it to the 302 million bottles made in Champagne every year. However it is the fastest-growing category of South African wine, with production doubling every 4.5 years.

Exports are just under 2 million bottles, of which the UK is the main market.

The USA, Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway follow. And it seems the pandemic created a lot of thirst for the style, with exports to the UK alone increasing by 36% year-on-year from 2020 to 2021.

To earn the Cap Classique name, a wine must ferment on its lees in the same bottle it is sold in. Lees ageing must be a minimum of nine months (though the CCPA recommends 12 months), and from June 2021 there are plans to introduce a new category for wines that mature for a minimum of 15 months.

There are no legal restrictions on permitted grape varieties, but the CCPA recommends Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

While Brut (below 12g/L residual sugar), Extra Brut (below 6g/L) and Brut Nature (below 3g/L) remain the mainstays of production, the big development in Cap Classique is Nectar, a subcategory of Demi-Sec, for wines with 20gL-40g/L of residual sugar.

Where it all began

In 1953, Frans Malan took over from his father-in-law as proprietor of a wine farm that then became Simonsig in 1968. Soon after, he visited Champagne and decided he could use Chenin Blanc to make a traditional-method sparkling wine.

In 1971 he released the first vintage of Kaapse Vonkel (meaning Cape Sparkle). Made as a brut, it was unique in a market where most of the sparkling wines were sweet and carbonated.

‘Kaapse Vonkel was the most expensive white wine in South Africa at the time,’ recounts Frans’ son Johan Malan. ‘It sold for 3 Rand a bottle, when a 12-bottle case of Simonsig’s best-selling red sold for 6 Rand!’

It stood out for other reasons too, reveals Malan. The first bottles his father imported from Portugal not only had a distinctive blue tint, they were also 800ml. The next bottles Simonsig sourced came from Germany but, because they were for Sekt, the pressure of the fizz in Kaapse Vonkel caused many to explode.

It wasn’t until the early 1980s that another winery – Boschendal – made a traditional-method sparkling. But by the end of that decade there were enough producers trying their hand at the style that they gathered together to taste each other’s base wines, share knowledge and discuss ideas.

From these annual meet-ups they created the Méthode Cap Classique name and, in 1992, founded the Cap Classique Producers Association.

Cap Classique: the wines to try

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Wine Legend: Lanzerac, Pinotage 1959, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Bottles produced 82,400

Composition 95% Pinotage, 5% Cinsault

A legend because…

This was the first-ever monovarietal Pinotage bottled and released in South Africa. Nowadays, Pinotage is a staple variety in many parts of the country, even though it is not universally loved. This wine was produced by the huge cooperative Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (SFW) and was not released until 1961. In the late 1950s, SFW had purchased the trademark of Lanzerac, an estate founded in 1692, and decided to use that label for its pioneering Pinotage. It went on to win the trophy at the Cape Young Wine Show in 1959.

Looking back

It was the inspiration of Professor Abraham Perold of Stellenbosch University in 1924 to cross Pinot Noir with the more widely planted Cinsault, resulting in a hardy variety that could give wines of deep colour and good structure. Perold was obliged to leave his house soon after, and seedlings planted close by were neglected. Indeed, just one survived, and all Pinotage wines thereafter are its descendants. It wasn’t until 1941 that there was sufficient Pinotage in the ground to fill a barrel. This wine was made by CT de Waal of Stellenbosch University; Perold himself never tasted it, as he died that same year. A decade went by before Pinotage was first planted on an experimental basis in 1951. Soon the variety was performing well at local wine shows. The SFW took notice and decided to produce the wine under its Lanzerac label. It didn’t own the property but had been entrusted with managing it. Today, Pinotage occupies more than 7% of South African wine-grape plantings.

The vintage

It has proved difficult to find any information on the vintage. The wine’s longevity suggests it was of good quality.

The terroir

This wine was a blend from two Stellenbosch vineyards: Bellevue Estate, owned by Pieter Morkel, with vines planted in 1953; and Kanonkop, planted by Paul Sauer. The latter would go on to produce the best known of all South African Pinotages, but at this time it was a blending component, as plantings were limited in the 1950s.

The wine

Pinotage is notorious for an acetone aroma and flavour that is hailed as the variety’s footprint, or detested as an unwelcome intrusion of nail-varnish aromas into a sturdy red wine. A by-product of fermentation, its presence can be moderated by fermenting at cooler temperatures. It hasn’t proved possible to unearth details about how this wine was made, but it’s known that the 1961, the second release of Lanzerac Pinotage, was fermented in concrete and aged in 50-hectolitre vats. The bottled wine may have followed common practice at the time as a blend of different vintages, despite the label’s vintage indication.

The reaction

Greg Sherwood MW tasted the wine in 2018: ‘The wine carries a now-legendary status and does not disappoint in the glass… Fantastically fine, complex nose of sweet leafy savoury bramble berry fruits, sweet tobacco leaf, black chai tea, dried herbs, earthy wood spice and notes of macerated cherries. All the wonderful tertiary complexity of a very classy, expressive red wine that retains an impressive harmony and poise, textural elegance with pinpoint vibrant acidity, freshness and an all-round air of elder statesman confidence. You know you are in the presence of greatness when you taste this old beauty.’

Jamie Goode reported on the same tasting: ‘Very fine and expressive with a hint of green and some notes of tobacco and tea, together with vibrant berry and cherry fruit. Harmonious and expressive with maturity but also freshness. This has aged so nicely with amazing purity considering its vintage. Subtle earthy notes, too. A really beautiful wine.’

In 2019, DWWA Regional Chair for South Africa Fiona McDonald was fortunate enough to taste one of the two remaining half-bottles from the Lanzerac cellars: ‘The wine was evolved and tertiary with toasty coffee bean, a touch of leather and macerated red- and black-cherry fruit. It was drinking well, showing distinct signs of life in its relative freshness and succulence.’

English Pinotage could be on your dinner table within five years, if a new project works out as planned.

The first commercial Pinotage vines in the UK have been planted at Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens, in Horsham, Sussex, with a view to producing a still red wine.

The 0.75ha vineyard is planted with Pinotage vines from a Swiss nursery. Cellarmaster Johann Fourie has high hopes for the variety, a Pinot Noir-Cinsault cross developed in South Africa in 1925.

‘We see Pinotage as the answer to a number of challenges faced by English wine grape-growers,’ he said.

‘It accumulates sugar very fast during the growing season and is an early ripener, so should be picked before cold and disease pressures set in due to hanging for too long. The thick skins make the grapes resistant to rot, and help with the tannins and colour.’

He added, ‘This is a test project, so we’ll see what the vineyard conditions allow us to do.

‘Fortunately Pinotage makes a good base for sparkling wine too; so if all else fails we’ll produce an English sparkling with a South African twist.’

Cape Town-based British owner and entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE bought Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens in July 2017, aiming to create a South African wine farm experience.

The site features Grade I listed gardens, first planted in 1801; they open to the public in January 2019 following extensive renovation work.

The new planting brings the total area under vine to 16 hectares – at Leonardslee and at nearby Mannings Heath, where Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines were planted in 2017, to create the UK’s first golf and wine estate.

A winery with a 75,000-bottle capacity is being built at Mannings Heath, with the first crop due in 2020, and the first releases in 2023.

Leonardslee and Mannings Heath Golf & Wine Estate are divisions of The Benguela Collection, a wine producer and hospitality group that Streeter started in 2013 with the acquisition of the Benguela Cove wine estate, in South Africa’s Walker Bay area.

The group now includes four restaurants and a hotel on the Garden Route.

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Kanonkop Pinotage 1995

Bottles produced 58,000Composition 100% PinotageYield 42hl/haAlcohol 13%Release price N/APrice today £49.20

A legend because…

Pinotage is a grape variety that divides critics and consumers alike, but Kanonkop’s version, championed by long-term winemaker Beyers Truter, has always been hailed as a benchmark by those who believe Pinotage demands to be taken seriously. Kanonop is a Stellenbosch estate now run by the fourth generation; it began bottling its wines in 1973.

The Pinotage variety was created in 1925 by Dr Izak Perold by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsault. It was soon being widely planted and became both a workhorse grape and South Africa’s unique if controversial contribution to the world of varietal wines. It likes a warm climate and ripens early. It is not a difficult variety to grow, and although it doesn’t raisin easily, it can attain high sugar levels which can give jammy flavours. Truter, both at Kanonkop and his own winery Beyerskloof, was long recognised as the master of Pinotage.

Looking back

By the 1980s Pinotage had fallen out of fashion, and existing vines were often used to produce Port-style wines. It was Beyers Truter who realised that excessive yields were the culprit, resulting in the production of many mediocre wines, marked by aromas of banana, nail varnish and acetate. Truter curbed yields and began ageing the wine in barrel from the early 1980s, a process that gives his Pinotage far more complexity and structure. Truter realised the often unpleasant acetate aromas were the consequence of fermenting at low temperatures – he would let the temperature rise to around 30°C so as to replace those aromas with those of ripe red fruits.

The vintage

Stellenbosch growers enjoyed an excellent growing season in 1995, warm and dry. These conditions resulted in a relatively small crop of bunches, often with small berries that gave great concentration to the wines, as well as formidable power and flavour. Kanonkop’s owner Johann Krige considers 1995 to be one of the three top vintages of the past 20 years.

The terroir

Kanonkop’s Pinotage was planted on southwestfacing soils of decomposed granite, and the bush vines have been here since 1953. Thus by 1995 the vines were over 40 years old. They were dry-farmed bush vines rather than grown on trellises, which helped to restrain the variety’s tendency to crop heavily (bush vines tend to be self-regulating).

The wine

The wine was given a relatively short maceration of around three days, and fermented in open-top vats at around 30°C. The array of shallow vats resembles the lagares found in the Douro Valley. The cap was punched down by hand. Once fermentation had terminated, the wine was decanted into Nevers barriques, of which half were new, and aged for 14 months.

The reaction

In 1997 the Platter Wine Guide remarked pithily: ‘Among the most accessible so far, juicy, ripe flavours, oak vanilla adding charm.’ Tasting the wine in June this year, Michael Fridjhon observed: ‘Still remarkably youthful, with fabulous fruit intensity – hints of plum and blackberry – contributing freshness to the more evolved, earthier notes of leather and spice; savoury tannins, nuanced and detailed on the finish.’

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Pinotage often gets a bad rap, but the tasting team at Decanter.com has found five delicious examples for your wine rack...

South African Pinotage , a crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir, polarises opinion and is either a love it or hate it wine.

But, wine expert Tim Atkin recently argued in ‘Pinotage to change your mind’ that the grape can still make great wines.

See below for more examples of Pinotage wines to try, picked by Decanter’s expert tasting team.

South African Pinotage: 5 to try

Read more about Pinotage at Decanter.com:

• Pinotage to change your mind

• Award winning Pinotage

Not a fan of Pinotage? Tim Atkin MW explains why you should give it another chance, and picks several wines to change your mind...

Amy Wislocki, managing editor, says: I just don’t understand the attraction to this awkward variety. How on earth did Pinotage become South Africa’s signature red? For me, it lacks elegance, freshness and usually a sense of terroir – and too often has unattractive varnishy, synthetic aromas. I’ll take straight Pinot Noir over this any day.

• Newer content: Five Pinotage wines picked by Decanter’s tasting team

Tim Atkin MW, an awarded wine writer and leading commentator on South African wines, replies:

Professor Abraham Perold, the man who invented Pinotage, never got to taste a wine made from his own creation. The plants, grown from four seeds in his garden, were saved from oblivion by Dr Charles Niehaus, a young lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch, when Perold left to join the KWV co-operative in 1927. It wasn’t until 1941, the year of Perold’s death, that the first Pinotage was vinified at Elsenburg Agricultural College. By such small margins did the grape survive.

I know what you’re thinking. If Perold had tried a Pinotage, he’d have pulled the whole lot up and saved the world from this much-maligned crossing of Cinsault and Pinot Noir. The fact that Pinotage is barely grown outside the Cape confirms what a lot of people think: the variety isn’t up to snuff. Even in South Africa it divides opinion. For every winemaker who considers it a USP, there are just as many who think that it’s a seconddivision variety at best.

What Pinotage tastes like

The main charge levelled against Pinotage is that it smells of amyl or isoamyl acetate, otherwise known as nail polish remover – or banana if you’re being more polite. It’s certainly true that Pinotage is distinctive: just 10% can have a marked impact on a Cape red blend – but the chemical note tends to fade with age. Indeed, talk to a Pinotage specialist like Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof and he’ll tell you that it’s a sign of bad winemaking, rather than an inherent characteristic.

• Wineries to visit in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek

I think Pinotage is capable of making very tasty wines, especially if the vines are old and it’s handled with care. Never forget that one of its parents is the temperamental, thin skinned Pinot Noir. What’s more, it’s able to be made in of a range of styles, from light and juicy to concentrated, ageworthy and profound. Just taste, say, Radford Dale’s Frankenstein Pinotage alongside one from Fram, Scali, Spioenkop, Kaapzicht, Beyerskloof or Delheim. Who says this is a predictable grape?

There’s a good reason that Pinotage is the third most planted red variety in South Africa after Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, with 7.4% of the country’s 99,463 hectares: it’s well adapted to the Cape’s range of climates, and produces very good reds in regions as diverse as Franschooek, Elgin, Citrusdal Mountain, Paarl, Voor Paardeberg, Swartland and Stellenbosch.

Can it make great wines? I think it can, although such a claim would be largely based on the achievements of one man, Abrie Beeslaar, who makes the wines at Kanonkop and under his own eponymous label. Kanonkop’s Black Label Pinotage is one of the best wines in South Africa – not just the best Pinotage – with a price-tag to prove it. Beeslaar, on the other hand, first made as recently as 2012, is still ludicrously cheap for what it is.

• Most expensive Pinotage released

I like to imagine Professor Perold’s face, suffused with pride and pleasure, as he tastes a bottle of this wine in the afterlife. Nearly a century after he planted those four seeds, Pinotage is flourishing.

See the wines:

With its strong French heritage, striking natural scenery, beautiful architecture and forward-thinking vignerons, Franschhoek is a must-stop destination for visitors to the Cape, says Angela Lloyd. Read her Franschhoek travel guide here.

Fact File

Planted area: 1,226ha

Main grapes: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Semillon

Main soil types: Alluvial, sandstone and decomposed granite

Further information: franschhoek.org.za

Quick links:

• My perfect day in Franschhoek
• Franschhoek: where to stay, eat, shop and relax

Franschhoek is incredibly picturesque, the road through the valley flanked by imposing mountains that loom ever closer as one approaches the town.

The Huguenots settled in the valley in the 17th century, after fleeing France and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Vineyards and wineries bearing the names of many of these Huguenot pioneers line either side of the road, continuing up the slopes and then over the Franschhoek Mountain Pass at the end of the valley. Pause at this turn-off to explore the graceful arched monument and museum recording the Huguenots’ past. From the mouth of the valley, lavender fields, olive groves and fruit orchards intermingle with the vines, providing an ever-changing sea of vegetation.

The wines to try

If there’s one grape associated with Franschhoek, it’s Semillon, a variety which ruled in Cape vineyards at the end of the 19th century. Old vineyards – some planted well over a century ago – produce wonderful wines, distinguished by their beeswax, lanolin and silky viscosity, all of which get even more savoury and sumptuous with age.

In a new initiative, the brainchild of four young winemakers, Semillon as well as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were selected as the valley’s historical best performers, to elevate the profile of wines bearing the Franschhoek

Wine of Origin appellation. An initial tasting across many vintages to identify aromas, flavours and style resulted in amazing commonality within each.

A subsequent blind tasting identified 11 wines across the three varieties as showing sufficient typicity and quality for the local judges to make them recipients of the first annual Appellation Grand Prestige awards (agpc.co.za). What resonates with this initiative is that, while it aims to recognise a sense of place, there’s no question of prescribing as to which varieties may be planted.

For instance, Wynand Grobler, the young winemaker at Rickety Bridge (ricketybridgewinery.com) who has AGP winners across all three varieties, is developing vineyards on his north-facing slopes for Rhône grapes.

If you’re keen to check out authentic Franschhoek flavours, Franschhoek Cellar (franschhoek-cellar.co.za) and Haut Espoir (hautespoir.com) produce other AGP Semillons, while Maison (maisonestate.co.za), Môreson (moreson.co.za) and Chamonix (chamonix.co.za) join Rickety Bridge in having the region’s most typical, quality Chardonnays (look for lime and lemon flavours). Craig McNaught’s Stonybrook Ghost Gum (stonybrook.co.za) makes the only other AGP Cabernet, with typical purity of blackcurrant and blackberry. Stylistically, Franschhoek wines can be described as self-assured yet unshowy and elegant.

There are plenty more quality producers to explore. At Boekenhoutskloof (boekenhoutskloof.co.za), Marc Kent produces excellent Franschhoek old-vine Semillon and Cabernet, as well as a renowned Syrah from bought-in grapes. La Motte’s (lamotte.co.za) Pierneef Shiraz-Viognier is one of the very few successful versions of these co-fermented grapes in the Cape, while Landau du Val’s Semillon, from vines planted in 1906, can also be a gem.

As well as illustrious, long-lived Chardonnays, Chamonix’s varied soils, altitudes and aspects allow Gottfried Mocke to make great Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Pinotage and Sauvignon Blanc, the latter blended to great effect with Semillon. (‘The vines need to be old for Semillon to make a standalone wine,’ he says.) Several Franschhoek origin wines are made in tiny quantities with annual releases being sold on allocation, although a query about an odd bottle or two to Ludwig Maske at La Cotte Inn Wine Sales might be rewarded with success.

Festival fever

Franschhoekers will party at the drop of a hat; there’s hardly any time of year that a visit doesn’t coincide with a festival. None is more fashionable and fun than the Cap Classique and Champagne Festival, held towards the end of November or early December. Méthode Cap Classique (sparkling wine made using the bottle-fermented method) is an integral part of the valley’s wine offering; there’s even a Cap Classique route with downloadable map (http://franschhoek.org.za/vignerons-de-franschhoek/ franschhoek-cap-classique-route/).

While many wineries include an MCC using traditional varieties as part of their range (La Motte and Stonybrook are particularly good), Jean-Philippe Colmant (colmant.co.za) of his excellent eponymous winery, Nick Davies of Morena (morena-mcc.com) and the von Arnim family of Haute Cabrière (cabriere.co.za) take their passion a step further, specialising in the style.

The Franschhoek Uncorked festival heralds spring in September, when wineries open their doors to showcase the release of new vintages but the major festival is the mid-July Bastille Weekend, when the whole town is en fête. But for a true Cape experience, try for a ticket to the Oesfees (harvest festival) at Solms-Delta (solms-delta.co.za), a day-long feast of local cuisine and toe-tapping music, played by amateur and professional bands.

Franschhoek might well have recently attracted investment from Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson – he has bought a wine farm in the valley – and well-known Indian businessman Analjit Singh, but the ambience will remain one associated with small, privately owned wineries.

Thanks to a plethora of excellent restaurants and other activities such as walking and hiking trails, and the chance for a spot of trout fishing on some farms, there’s a lot more to do besides enjoying Franschhoek wines.

How to get there: Fly to Cape Town International Airport then drive 75km to Franschhoek

Written by Angela Lloyd

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With its strong French heritage, striking natural scenery, beautiful architecture and forward-thinking vignerons, Franschhoek is a must-stop destination for visitors to the Cape, says Angela Lloyd. Read her Franschhoek travel guide here.

My perfect day in Franschhoek

Morning

Whether your day starts with one of Sacred Ground’s (sacredground.co.za) cooked breakfasts or choice of breads – the tangy sourdough is fab – accompanied by a Fairtrade coffee, you’ll be well set up for the day’s tasting. The Franschhoek Wine Tram (winetram.co.za) is the perfect option for those concerned about drinking and driving. This hop-on, hop-off tour, offering transfer to and from your destination, stops at seven farms on two routes. Hop off in time to make the 15-minute drive to Solms-Delta.

Afternoon

Solms-Delta has traced its heritage back thousands of years to the Cape’s original hunter-gatherer inhabitants. The slave and music museums and archaeological remains are well worth exploring. Fyndraai restaurant is part of that heritage. Shaun Schoeman’s traditional menu incorporates ideas from those early peoples to today’s cultural mix of Africa, Asia and Europe. Suggested wine pairings (mainly Rhône varieties) accompany each dish.

Evening and overnight

Settle into your luxurious five-star accommodation, Akademie Street Boutique Hotel & Guesthouse (aka.co.za). Surrounded by a rambling garden, each of Akademie’s three guest cottages are both private and intimate, but suites in the Cape Dutch style main house are also available. Breakfast is served by hosts, Arthur and Katherine McWilliam-Smith, on the main house patio with gorgeous views of the mountains. But before you start thinking of breakfast, head to dinner – just a five-minute walk away – at Chris Erasmus’ Foliage (facebook.com/Restaurantfoliage). His skill in combining flavours and textures (featuring locally foraged ingredients), has drawn an enthusiastic following. The focus is on Franschhoek wines with a good selection by the glass.

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With its strong French heritage, striking natural scenery, beautiful architecture and forward-thinking vignerons, Franschhoek is a must-stop destination for visitors to the Cape, says Angela Lloyd. Read her Franschhoek travel guide here.

Franschhoek: where to stay, eat, shop and relax

Hotels

Rickety Bridge Manor House

This gracious 19th-century manor house lies at the heart of the wine farm and greets the eye as one crosses the (thankfully sound) eponymous bridge. Carefully restored, the three en-suite rooms feature traditional Cape Dutch furniture, yellow-wood ceilings and pine floors. ricketybridgewinery.com

Avondrood Guesthouse

On Main Road (Huguenot Rd) but set in a large garden with swimming pool, this Victorian building dates back to 1870 and is a local heritage site. The five rooms retain the ambience of that era while offering all modern conveniences. avondrood.com

Bo la Motte

One of the nine historic Huguenot wine farms settled in 1672. The five self-catering cottages, set among the vines, orchards or overlooking the dams, are well equipped. This idyllic setting is just a stroll from the centre of the village. bolamotte.co.za

Restaurants

Le Quartier Français

There can be few foodies who have not heard of this internationally recognised fine dining restaurant and its award-winning chef, Margot Janse. The eight-course tasting menu, which changes daily, leans heavily on local ingredients; execution is skilful, presentation beautiful. Take the option of wine pairing to appreciate the best of Cape wines and their compatibility with food. lqf.co.za

Pierneef à La Motte

This spacious restaurant is named for the well-known 20th century South African artist Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, whose works are on display on the farm. Chef Michelle Theron creates dishes based on recipes brought to the Cape in the 17th century by European settlers, among them Cape bokkom (dried, cured fish) salad, Karoo lamb and melktert (custard tart). Fresh vegetables and fruit come from the farm’s organic garden. The wine list offers the full range, including older vintages, of Edmund Terblanche’s wines. la-motte.com

Bread & Wine

In a quiet setting, well off the busy main road, Bread & Wine at Môreson wine farm encourages leisurely lunches, as do Clayton Reabow’s modern wines and Neil Jewell’s assured dishes: deep-fried spare ribs are an unusual favourite. Jewell is recognised as a charcutier par excellence, his cured meats and salamis being served by restaurants far and wide. moreson.co.za

Shops

La Cotte Inn Wine Sales

Ludwig and Lodine Maske’s wine shop is a veritable treasure trove. Franschhoek producers are well represented alongside a broad selection of top wines from throughout the winelands. In the cool, atmospheric cellar downstairs, browse through older vintages and an eclectic range of international wines. Lodine’s range of splendid French cheeses should not be overlooked either. lacotte.co.za

Tap & Cork

Glass bottles in all shapes and sizes are here to be filled, sealed and labelled with your choice from an impressive range of locally made liqueurs, vinegars and oils. A selection of local wines is available in an adjoining room. facebook.com/tapandcorkfranschhoek

Huguenot Fine Chocolates

Quality Belgian chocolates made in front of your eyes from imported raw material. This empowerment business, on Franschhoek’s Main Road (Huguenot Rd), was initiated by the Belgian Government. +27 (0)21 876 4096

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This year's Cape Winemakers Guild Auction saw a record amount spent with red wines from three estates beating the previous top price for a lot.

Henre Hablutzel of Homeyr-Mills Auctioneers led the 30th Cape Winemakers Guild Auction

Total sales at last weekend’s auction reached ZAR11.9 million (£662,000), the Guild said.

In the 30th anniversary of the sale, sponsored by Nedbank, turnover was 42% up on 2013, thanks partly to three estates each achieving ZAR8,600 (£480) for six-bottle cases of their reds: Etienne La Riche, Kanonkop and Boekenhoutskloof (see list below).

For the whites, top lot was Cape Point Vineyards’ CWG Reserve White 2013 at ZAR5,600 (£312) for a six-bottle case. Boplass’ Ouma Cloete Straw Wine 2013, made in Calitzdorp from sun-dried Viognier grapes, was also a high earner at ZAR7,200 (£402) for a case of six half-bottles.

Held at Spier wine farm in Stellenbosch on 4 October, the auction attracted a record 178 buyers, with 90% of the 61 wines on offer selling to South Africans. The Tsogo Sun hotel group was the top bidder, spending ZAR2.47m (£137,000).

The CWG was founded in 1982 with the aim for members to share knowledge and collectively improve the quality and standing of South African wines. The auction wines are exclusive bottlings made, and also selected blind, by members.

Record donations of ZAR228,700 (£12,700) were raised for the CWG’s Protege Programme – a membership initiative for young winemakers and viticulturalists. A special 18-litre charity auction bottling comprising a blend of all 45 CWG members’ top wines, sold for ZAR80,000 (£4,450).

The top five reds

• Etienne Le Riche, Auction Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch 2004 – average bottle price R1,433.33 (£80)

• Kanonkop, CWG Paul Sauer (Bordeaux blend), Simonsberg 2011 R1,433.33 (£80)

• Boekenhoutskloof, Auction Reserve Syrah, Coastal Reserve 2012 R1,433.33 (£80)

• Beyerskloof, Traildust Pinotage, Stellenbosch 2012 R1,333.33 (£74)

• Etienne Le Riche, Auction Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch 2012 R1,233.33 (£69)

The top five whites

• Cape Point Vineyards, CWG Reserve White (Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon), Cape Point 2013 – average bottle price R933.33 (£52)

• Ataraxia, Under the Gavel Chardonnay, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge 2013 R833.33 (£46)

• Jordan, Auction Reserve Chardonnay, Stellenbosch 2013 R833.33 (£46)

• Mullineux, The Gris Semillon, Swartland 2013 R733.33 (£41)

• Cape Chamonix, CWG Reserve Chardonnay, Franschhoek R733.33 (£41)

Written by Tina Gellie

This year's Decanter World Wine Awards International Trophy for the Best in Show Red Single-Varietal over £15 went to El Esteco, Don David Reserve Tannat, Salta, Argentina 2012 (14%)

Tasted against:

• Alpha Estate, Xinomavro Reserve, Amyndeon, Macedonia, Greece 2009
• Spier, 21 Gables Pinotage, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2011
• Takler, Minden 50 Evben, Hungary 2007
• Toneles, Gran Tonel 137, Mendoza, Argentina 2010

Profile:

To create a clean sweep for Argentina in the Red Single-Varietal classes, this champion had to overcome considerable challenges set by a host of beautiful wines from South Africa, Greece and Hungary as well as a compatriate. It was a close call in what was a very strong flight, but with its sleek attack, succulent palate with juicy balsamic notes, and concentrated, generous fruit, this wine got the final nod.

The Don David in question here is the founder of El Esteco, David Michel, who chose to build one of the world’s highest-altitude wineries in Salta at 1,600m altitude.

Tannat is quite a new variety in Argentina, and it has taken considerable efforts to yield convincing examples. Famously chewy (Tannat by name, tannic by nature), skilled perseverance was required in the vineyard, as conditions in Calchaquí Valley tend to give overripe varietal characters which, in less capable hands, could result in a unwieldy blockbuster of a wine. As it is El Esteco’s Tannat allies power with impeccable balance, and a distinctive regional touch.

Alejandro Pepa has been steeped in the wine business since birth. A fourth-generation winemaker, he grew up playing in the vines during harvest time until it happily, inevitably became his profession too. He started his career with El Esteco in 2000 in quality control, before progressing to production manager and then in 2006 to chief winemaker.

Pepa has seen his fortunes rise in tandem with the winery, as he notes. The owners have invested serious money, for example by increasing the number of barrels for maturation from 250 t2,000 since he joined the company.

Fruit for this Trophy-winner comes from 20-year-old vines, mature enough to lend an overall balance to the rich wine which has plenty of mineral, herb and chocolate notes.

See the full information about this wine

Written by Decanter

This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for South African Single-Varietal Red over £15 went to Spier, 21 Gables Pinotage, Stellenbosch 2011 (14.5%)

Tasted against:

• Wildekrans, Barrel Select Reserve Pinotage, Walker Bay 2012

Profile:

The men to be credited for Spier’s trio of stunning successes are cellarmaster Frans Smit and viticulturist Johann Smit. Together they have developed an innate understanding of the land on which they work, and know how to eke out the very most from it.

This Trophy-winner was first released with the 1999 vintage, and its fruit comes from a special plot of land, says Johann: ‘The Pinotage grapes are sourced from an 18-year-old, low-yielding single vineyard in Faure. It has two types of soil, including one with high clay content, ensuring excellent water retention.

‘The vineyard gets strong, cooling ocean breezes and as the vines are planted in the direction the wind blows, it travels down the vines, not against them,’ he explains.

‘We focus on cooler terroirs for Pinotage. Their longer ripening periods make a big difference to the quality of the grapes, and the resulting wines have more structured tannins.’

Completing a remarkable hat trick of Trophies for Spier at DWWA 2014, this is a cracking example of South Africa’s signature red grape.

Written by Decanter

This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for South African Single-Varietal Red under £15 went to Durbanville Hills, Rhinofields Pinotage, Tygerberg 2012 (14%)

Tasted against:

• No other Golds in this category

Profile:

The Durbanville Hills winery was established at the end of the 1990s as a joint initiative between seven grape farms and South Africa’s drinks giant Distell.

Wilhelm Coetzee joined the company in 2008 and is responsible for all of Durbanville Hills’ red wines; previously he was head winemaker at Flagstone.

Of this Trophy-winner, he says: ‘The 2012 Rhinofields Pinotage is a fine example of how the conditions of the Durbanville area – with its unique set of rolling hills, maritime breezes and soil composition – promote quality and elegance. This is a typical, cool-climate Pinotage, with beautiful red fruit expression.’

Coetzee feels this wine is more like its Pinot Noir parent (Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault) due to the vines being grown on northwest-facing slopes in the warmer area of Durbanville.

Cellarmaster at Durbanville Hills is Martin Moore, who has worked at the estate since its very beginning. Following a stint in the army, he studied viticulture and winemaking at university and, at the tender age of 27, found himself senior cellar master at the country’s then leading co-operative KWV, in charge of its white, red and fortified wines.

Written by Decanter

Frustrated that their valley is not always taken seriously as a wine appellation, a number of producers are prouder than ever to put Wine of Origin Franschhoek on their bottles. Joanne Gibson reports...

Franschhoek at a glance:

Area under vine: 1,254ha (1.25% of South Africa’s total plantings)

Main grape varieties:

White: Sauvignon Blanc (189.5ha), Chardonnay (181.5ha), Semillon (86.6ha), Chenin Blanc (62.5ha), Viognier (24.8ha)

Red: Cabernet Sauvignon (188.4ha), Shiraz (170.5ha), Merlot (116.9ha), Pinot Noir (59.3ha), Pinotage (28.9ha), Cabernet Franc (26.7ha)

Annual production: 18 million bottles, including brands that use fruit from other appellations

Quick links:

– Franschhoek: know your vintages

– Six names to watch

– Six of Franschhoek’s finest wines

Regional Profile:

Almost regardless of wine quality, Franschhoek has long been regarded as one of South Africa’s sexiest destinations for wine lovers. It is one of the Cape’s most beautiful valleys, enclosed on three sides by towering mountains, and boasts a plethora of top restaurants and luxury accommodation, ensuring a steady influx of well-heeled foreign visitors.

But for all the pride taken in its French Huguenot winegrowing heritage, dating back to 1688, the Franschhoek Valley was only classified as an official district in South Africa’s Wine of Origin scheme in 2010, having fallen under the less-hyped Paarl district prior to that. Moreover, it has acquired an unfortunate ‘terroir by truck’ stigma, thanks to farming costs spiralling on what has become very sought-after real estate, with the result that many cellars buy in cheaper fruit from other areas – in some cases very successfully.

Boekenhoutskloof, for example, sources its iconic Syrah from Wellington, while its crowdpleasing The Chocolate Block as well as secondlabel Porcupine Ridge and The Wolftrap ranges are generically labelled as Wine of Origin (WO) Western Cape. Only its flagship Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon are entirely WO Franschhoek.

Meanwhile, Hein Koegelenberg, CEO of La Motte, believes that the freedom to source fruit from other areas is South Africa’s’s strength. ‘Being able to say that a wine is WO Franschhoek is irrelevant. We’re not in France where, if you’re on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, the question is how much Merlot to put in your blend. We’re in Franschhoek, where the question is which grapes that you have access to will help you make the best wine in the specific style of your brand.’

La Motte’s Sauvignon Blanc, for example, is a blend of up to 12 wines (the 2012 comprises 30% Franschhoek fruit, 20% Stellenbosch, 5% Elim, 5% Durbanville, 5% West Coast and 5% Nieuwoudtville). ‘A wine grown on our loose, sandy soils at La Motte would be one-dimensional,’ explains Koegelenberg. ‘Only by combining flavours from different regions can we realise the full potential of Sauvignon in South Africa and get the style we want. And then repeat it. A global brand needs consistency.’

There is, however, one wine in La Motte’s portfolio that is WO Franschhoek: its singlevineyard Chardonnay. ‘It is possible to achieve the complexity we want for our brand with Franschhoek Chardonnay; with Franschhoek Sauvignon Blanc or Shiraz it’s not.’ And this is the current focus for a small but growing band of the region’s winemakers: which varieties grow best in their valley?

The ‘underestimated’ region

It might seem like a daunting if not impossible task, given that this is an appellation in which annual average rainfall varies from a mere 400mm on the valley floor to more than 2,000mm in the southwest corner where the Groot Drakenstein and Franschhoek mountains meet. ‘They farm trout there because it’s so wet,’ says Rosa Kruger, South Africa’s leading viticulturist, who works as vineyard manager for five clients including Boekenhoutskloof and Solms-Delta in Franschhoek, as well as nearby Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons (not in the valley but included on the tourism-orientated Franschhoek Valley Food & Wine Route).

Add in the Klein Drakenstein and Wemmershoek mountains, and the result is a near unfathomable diversity of slopes, aspects and soil types, from alluvial sand on the valley floor to what Kruger describes as ‘amazing Stellenbosch-type clay’ up the west-facing slopes. Not to mention outcrops of granite and even Greywacke sandstone – highly unusual in South Africa, and celebrated by Cape Chamonix in its Greywacke Pinotage. ‘You have to do what suits your little pocket best,’ says cellarmaster/ viticulturist Gottfried Mocke, a philosophy that saw Chamonix named Winery of the Year in Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2013.

Given that Kruger specialises in finding ‘different landscapes’ that make site-specific wines (she hates the word terroir), it’s not surprising that she feels ‘Franschhoek is completely underestimated’. But the diversity that makes her job here so exciting – from reviving century-old Semillon blocks to planting Macabeo at Solms-Delta – also makes it a challenge to isolate viticultural strengths for Franschhoek as a whole, let alone identify ‘typicity’ in its wines. ‘Franschhoek needs more focus,’ insists Môreson winemaker Clayton Reabow. ‘So far we’ve taken a shotgun approach because the market wants everything. But in 50 years it would be nice to see a focus on a few varieties that we start identifying now.’

Spoiled for choice

As far as white wines are concerned, there’s distinctly floral, spicy Sauvignon Blanc and fresh, elegant Viognier to be found, while Franschhoek has also taken ownership of Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wine in recent years. But already general consensus is that the valley’s best-performing wines ‘in terms of history and prestige’ are creamy, barrel-fermented Semillon (‘Franschhoek is the cradle of Semillon in South Africa,’ Kruger points out) and elegant, mineral Chardonnay.

The debate intensifies when it comes to reds, although Cabernet Sauvignon leads the way, in both plantings and prestige. ‘Classic Franschhoek Cab is elegant, never overextracted or jammy,’ says Wynand Grobler, cellarmaster at Rickety Bridge Winery. La Bri Estate’s winemaker Irene Waller is most passionate about Syrah, Franschhoek’s second most planted red variety, while Dieter Sellmeyer of Lynx Wines makes a strong case for single-varietal Cabernet Franc, a variety which makes up 85% of Chamonix’s Bordeaux-style blend Troika 2011. ‘The wines with more Cabernet Franc are the most interesting and also age the best,’ reveals Mocke.

Jean Smit, chief winemaker at Boekenhoutskloof agrees in its ability to lift a blend.

Nevertheless, Semillon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon have been selected as the three flagship varieties for Franschhoek. More than 100 varietal examples, or blends containing no more than 15% of other varieties, have been sourced for a tasting in which independent expert panellists will attempt to identify stylistic typicity for Franschhoek – and award Appellation Grand Prestige status where appropriate (see www.agpc.co.za). ‘A green style of Semillon made in tank, with 15% Sauvignon Blanc added probably won’t make the cut,’ says Craig McNaught, winemaker at Stony Brook Vineyards, explaining that Franschhoek is already well known for a barrel-fermented, lees-stirred style.

‘A lot of us also make wines that show better when older,’ Waller points out. Stony Brook, for example, has only just released its Semillon 2009, while Smit feels his current-release Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2010 won’t plateau for another six or seven years: ‘But it’s at a price point (£20 a bottle, see box, right) where the people who buy it will understand that they need to cellar it for a few years in order to appreciate it properly,’ he explains. ‘The tasting is merely a starting point for developing origin control guidelines,’ stresses Reabow.

It’s inspiring to see the confidence of those Franschhoek winemakers who have invested seriously in their vineyards, in time as well as financially. As McNaught jokes, ‘Our philosophy was to make absolutely no profit for 17 years, and we’ve achieved it!’ Waller concludes: ‘It’s taken a while but we’ve found the gems: the older vineyards as well as the right pockets for planting new ones. Yes, we can bring in fruit where necessary, but ultimately we can now rely on what’s in the valley.’

Written by Joanne Gibson

Next page

Frustrated that their valley is not always taken seriously as a wine appellation, a number of producers are prouder than ever to put Wine of Origin Franschhoek on their bottles. Joanne Gibson reports...

Franschhoek: know your vintages

2013

Challenging vintage but good for early-ripening grapes. Wines of generally lower alcohols.

2012

Excellent for Chardonnay and Rhône varieties; good acidity and ripeness.

2011

Great white vintage: elegant wines with fruit purity.

2010

Warm vintage, difficult for some. Some big wines.

2009

Excellent vintage with great balance and potential for longevity.

Next page Previous page

Frustrated that their valley is not always taken seriously as a wine appellation, a number of producers are prouder than ever to put Wine of Origin Franschhoek on their bottles. Joanne Gibson reports...

Franschhoek: Six wine names to watch

Black Elephant Vintners

Founded in 2013 by financiers Kevin Swart (whose surname means ‘black’ in Afrikaans) and Raymond Ndlovu (‘elephant’ in the Nguni language), BEV’s aim is to create ‘exciting, premium and distinctive’ wines from Franschhoek – but ‘we’re new so we can’t compete with the valley’s top Chardonnay, Semillon and Cabernet yet’, says Swart. But winemaker Jacques Wentzel’s Two Dogs, A Peacock & A Horse Sauvignon Blanc 2013 impresses, while his basket-pressed Amistad Syrah packs a peppery punch.

bevintners.co.za

GlenWood

‘Chardonnay is the wine of the valley,’ says winemaker DP Burger, who makes three different expressions at this boutique winery in scenic Robertsvlei, a distinct valley within the greater Franschhoek area. Burger’s small range of handcrafted wines (fewer than 10,000 cases a year) also includes a creamy, full-bodied Semillon: ‘We only make four barrels, mostly sold from the tasting room. It’s a real food wine.’

glenwoodvineyards.co.za

La Bri Estate

‘I believe in Franschhoek Cabernet but my real passion is Syrah,’ says winemaker Irene Waller, whose glossy Syrah 2011 was crushed and cofermented with 3% Viognier (another passion), the herbs adorning its label hinting at its complex thyme, rosemary and oregano notes. Dating back to 1694, the estate’s renaissance started in 2008 with the unveiling of a new 120-tonne cellar. Waller’s arrival from Graham Beck Wines in 2010 ushered in a new, award-winning era.

labri.co.za

Lynx Wines

Former engineer Dieter Sellmeyer uprooted table grapes to establish his vineyards, first harvested in 2002. He specialises in red wine, most notably his seamless, richly layered, varietal Cabernet Franc: ‘I originally made it as a blending component but found a couple of barrels were too good to blend away.’ He also makes a floral, subtly oaked, viscous Viognier: ‘Personally I don’t like Sauvignon Blanc and there are already too many good Chardonnays in the region to compete with.’

lynxwines.co.za

Môreson

Owned by the Friedman family and located at the end of the aptly named Happy Valley Road, Môreson (‘morning sun’ in Afrikaans) has been associated with Chardonnay ever since Clayton Reabow was named SA’s Young Winemaker of 2009 for his Premium Chardonnay 2007. Several accolades have followed, also for bought-in reds. ‘But as a farm, we are best known as a producer of Chardonnay, as well as Chardonnay-based Méthode Cap Classique.’

moreson.co.za

Stony Brook Vineyards

Nigel and Joy McNaught bought this small farm in 1995, son Craig recently stepping up to help craft ‘top-quality wines that reflect the unique microclimate of this southernmost corner of Franschhoek’. The fruit intensity of the sold-out Semillon 2008 augurs well for new-release 2009: ‘It’s a wine for people who see its value in five years’ time.’ The Cabernetbased Ghost Gum flagship spends 32 months in new French oak.

stonybrook.co.za

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Frustrated that their valley is not always taken seriously as a wine appellation, a number of producers are prouder than ever to put Wine of Origin Franschhoek on their bottles. Joanne Gibson reports...

Six of Franschhoek’s finest wines

Boekenhoutskloof, Semillon 2010

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

£20 Fine & Rare, Handford, Harvey Nichols, James Nicholson, Jeroboams, KWM Wines, SA Wines Online, Philglass & Swiggott, Swig

From bush-vine blocks registered in 1902 and 1942. Peach blossom and orange peel aromas, intense citrus palate developing nuttiness and beeswax. Very fresh despite its weighty texture.

Drink 2014–2020

Alc 13.9%

Chamonix, Chardonnay Reserve 2012

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

£18–£20 Avery’s, Berry Bros & Rudd, Halifax Wine Co, Lay & Wheeler, Raeburn, SA Wine Online, Stone Vine & Sun, Swig, The Wine Society, WoodWinters, Wright Wine Co

Austere and tight, but has tropical fruit purity, tangy ginger spice, oatmeal and toasted almond notes. The richness is still to come.

Drink 2015–2020

Alc 13.5%

Môreson, Mercator Chardonnay 2012

18/20pts (93/100pts)

£20 Courtnall Williams & Sons

Natural fermentation, no racking, no added sulphur. Ripe pineapple with lemon freshness, dried apricot and hazelnut notes. It has crème brûlée creaminess rather than buttery richness.

Drink 2014–2019

Alc 13.8%

Stony Brook, Ghost Gum Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

18/20pts (93/100pts)

£18 Dickens House Wine

From a low-yielding single vineyard. Concentrated blackcurrant fruit is well integrated with cigar box spice after 32 months in new French oak. Wonderful structure and finesse.

Drink 2014–2020

Alc 14.5%

Rickety Bridge, The Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

N/A UK www.ricketybridgewinery.com

From a single bush-vine vineyard, inaccessible by vehicle, giving tiny yields. Dense and velvety palate of black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate, clove and tobacco notes with hint of eucalyptus to finish.

Drink 2016–2022

Alc 14.9%

Lynx, Cabernet Franc 2012

17/20pts (90/100pts)

£13 Carte du Vin

Smooth and richly layered palate of juicy black mulberry fruit with hints of smoke and liquorice. Lovely spearmint freshness and soft ripe tannins.

Drink 2014–2018

Alc 14.5%

Previous page

Chinese company Perfect China has invested in the Val de Vie wine estate in Cape Winelands, purchasing a cellar, wine farm, vineyards and a historic manor house.

L’Huguenot wine label

The undisclosed transaction, completed in July, includes the Val de Vie wine cellar, a 25ha wine farm with 21ha of vineyards and the historic manor house and marks the first occurrence of a Chinese multinational investing in South Africa’s vineyards.

According to Val De Vie‘s marketing director Ryk Neethling, the Paarl wine farm will be administered by the parent firm Perfect Wines of South Africa, which is a joint venture between Perfect China, who has a 51% stake, and the Franschhoek estate Leopard’s Leap Wines, owned by Hein Koegelenberg.

Perfect Wines director Koegelenberg said that he had wanted to acquire a permanent base of production for his new cape wine brand L’Huguenot, which is targeted exclusively at the Chinese market.

‘Although we source the grapes for the L’Huguenot brand from various vineyards in the Western Cape, we wanted to give it a home – and Val de Vie with its Huguenot heritage and focus on a quality lifestyle fits the brand perfectly,’ Koegelenberg told decanter.com.

He added that he planned to undertake significant expansion projects at the 25hectare wine farm, including changing the historic manor house at Val de Vie and turning it into a Huguenot museum.

Koegelenberg confirmed that Val de Vie’s current range of wines would also be heavily promoted in the Chinese market, with plans to encourage more Chinese tourism in the Cape.

‘This year will see 700 Chinese sales representatives visiting Cape Town in the first week of September – introducing them to our wine culture. We want them to be ambassadors for the brand, but also for South Africa when they return to China,’ he said.

Perfect China said that The L’Huguenot brand is currently released as a Shiraz/Pinotage blend, a varietal Shiraz and as a Chenin Blanc wine, with an annual expected production of over 1.5 million bottles from 2014.

Written by James Lawrence

Wine production in South Africa is expected to reach an all-time high this year after the 2013 grape harvest outstripped expectations to reach nearly 1.5m tons.

Overcoming a late and slow start to the growing season, every region except Robertson registered an increase on the 2012 crop, with Olifants River, Breedekloof and Worcester set to break records.

According to estimates from SA Wine Industry Information and Systems (Sawis), the 2013 wine grape crop is expected to rise 5.4% on 2012 to 1.49m tons, 4.6% up on the previous record year, 2008.

The wine harvest, which includes juice and concentrate for non-alcoholic purposes, brandy wine and wine for distillation, will be just over 1.15m litres, Sawis calculated.

A prolonged winter and cool spring delayed budburst and led to a later harvest for early-ripening varietals, but a dry and warm December concentrated picking times, creating ‘immense pressure’ on winery capacity.

‘Producers, viticulturists and winemakers are excited about a promising crop in terms of quality,’ said wine producers’ association VinPro.

‘The moderate harvest season contributed to intense colour, exceptional flavour and good structure in the red cultivars, especially for Pinotage, appearing good in terms of size and quality.

‘Throughout the industry, winemakers anticipate excellent, fruity and tropical white wines with fresh characteristics.’

The huge crop comes after South Africa exported a record-breaking 417m litres of wine in 2012, up 17% on 2011 and overtaking the previous record by 10m litres.

Exports were boosted by favourable exchange rates and a global wine shortage, but bulk wines accounted for 59% of the total.

Written by Richard Woodard

Fairtrade wine has a golden marketing opportunity after being selected to spearhead the launch of bespoke Olympic wines at London 2012.

In an Olympic first, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) tasked buyers at UK wine merchant Bibendum with securing almost 650,000 litres of 2012 vintage wine for a range to be sold at all Games venues this summer.

The three chosen wines, packaged in 75cl and 18.75cl recyclable PET bottles, represent a coup for Fairtrade, as well as for South Africa and up-and-coming Brazil.

Of the various categories of Fairtrade products in the UK, wine is one of the fastest-growing, with sales up by 12% in volume last year, to 6.5m litres.

South Africa’s largest certified Fairtrade wine estate, Stellenrust, has supplied a Chenin Blanc and a rosé made from Pinotage, Shiraz and Merlot.

James Bennett, account manager at the Fairtrade Foundation told Decanter.com, ‘It shows that Fairtrade wine has come a very long way in terms of quality and in terms of people wanting it.’

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Miolo-owned Seival Estate is supplying a Shiraz and Tempranillo blend, containing a small amount of Gamay Nouveau. While not Fairtrade, its selection is a nod to the next Olympics, Rio 2016, and to Brazil’s emergence on the world wine scene.

Around 9m tickets have been sold for Olympic and Paralympic events, at which an 18.75cl bottle of Olympic wine will cost £4.80, Decanter.com understands.

Bibendum is already the official wine supplier to London 2012 hospitality events.

The merchant declined to comment on the bespoke Olympic wines, citing contractual obligations to the IOC.

The next issue of Decanter magazine features a special preview of wines available in the ‘prestige ticketing’ sections of the Olympic village. ‘Podium wines’ by Anthony Rose is in the August issue of Decanter magazine, on sale July 4.

Written by Chris Mercer

Many wine lovers treat Pinotage with a degree of scepticism – if not outright disdain. A decade ago they’d have been right to, but today’s crop is worthy of a fresh look, says Christian Eedes

South Africa doesn’t have a single ‘icon’ wine. One that is recognised and sought after the world over. At last not yet. But could South Africa’s Pinotage be its first icon wine? Johann Krige, owner of Stellenbosch winery Kanonkop thinks so. ‘If Jesus had served Pinotage at The Last Supper, Judas wouldn’t have betrayed him,’ were his provocative words at the launch of his ultra-premium Pinotage in January. Kanonkop’s Black Label Pinotage 2006 was made from vines over half a century old and saw 100% new French oak. Only 1,000 bottles were released, initially priced at 1,000 Rand (US$91) a bottle.

• What Pinotage tastes like: Wines to change your mind

Each bottle is individually numbered and labelled with a hologram to ensure authenticity, with buyers limited to 36 bottles per person. One of Krige’s motivations behind Black Label, though, is to kick-start the secondary market for South African wine, and to that end, sales are exclusively via two negociants who are given the mandate to buy back stock from willing sellers to sell on to parties prepared to pay a higher price. The maiden vintage sold out in a few days, and there was no delay on the 2007 either, released in September.

Rocky road

This is just one indication of how far Pinotage has progressed. The variety was born in 1925, when Pinot Noir was crossed with Cinsault (then known as Hermitage) to give a wine with the nobility of the former and the profligacy of the latter. The first commercial bottling was by Lanzerac in Stellenbosch in 1959; it has had a chequered history ever since.

The suggestion that Pinotage stands at the dawn of a golden era might come as a surprise to those who encountered it in the mid-1990s and were probably justified in not wanting much to do with it. After South Africa’s political transformation, its wine industry enjoyed a very receptive world market. Having not being exposed to Cape wine as a result of long-term sanctions, international consumers were curious to see what was on offer. With Pinotage being unique to the country, it seemed like this would be the variety that would allow producers to cash in.

• News: Kanonkop releases world’s most expensive Pinotage – again

Alas things did not run as smoothly as they might have. At entry level, greedy producers flooded the market with dull Pinotage, while at premium level, the variety proved difficult to work with. The critics did not hang back in passing judgment. Cue a grape in crisis.

What were the specific issues? Anthony Hamilton Russell, co-owner of Walker Bay property Southern Right (and proprietor of Hamilton Russell Vineyards) is blunt, despairing of ‘the sad stage of sweet, soft, over-ripe, low acid, high pH, alcoholic wines’ made in the mid 1990s. The ‘democratisation of wine’ was in full swing and these wines were designed to please ‘less developed palates’, he says. Out went wines with ‘austerity, higher acids, tightness, vibrant tannins and hard-to-identify savoury characters’.

In line with how global red wine styles evolved, the ‘90s saw producers working with riper grapes to achieve fruitier wines with less aggressive tannins. Fine in theory, but trouble lay ahead. Riper grapes meant wines with higher pH levels, and to make matters worse, Pinotage is a variety with unusually high malic acid content, making the process of malolactic fermentation fraught. These factors made the average Pinotage in the late ’90s ‘a very favourable medium for bacterial growth’, as Kaapzicht winemaker Danie Steytler puts it.

Micro-biological spoilage led to all sorts of undesirable characteristics in the final wine, including bitterness (associated with a bacterial by-product called acrolein reacting with tannins) and wild flavours and aromas (brettanomyces). In addition, the inherently high pH combined with winemakers adopting fashionable but misguided lower sulphur dioxide regimes, left the wines at risk of oxidation.

Fixing the problems

What was required was more careful management of the pH levels, done via the addition of tartaric acid (a common winemaking practice). ‘Getting your pH levels wrong is not a shortcoming of the variety but a winemaking mistake,’ says Abrie Beeslaar, winemaker at Kanonkop.

• Decanter travel guide: Franschhoek, South Africa

There have been other improvements too: Pinotage’s notorious acetone aroma was found to be the product of too cool a fermentation; winemakers now ferment up to 30°C, says Christo Versfeld of Springfontein in Walker Bay. Once it was appreciated that the variety’s thick skins made it prone to overextraction, hence arshness, more gentle extraction methods were introduced prior to and during fermentation. And as a further precaution against bacterial spoilage, sterile filtration is done before the wine goes into barrel.

For those who still believe in the grape, the hard work is paying off. Steytler is a leading proponent: he was rewarded when his 2006 beat off competition from Malbecs, Grenaches and Carmeneres to win last year’s International Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards for the Best Single Varietal Over £10 wine. The accolade, said Steytler, ‘proves this grape can make world-class wines – if you respect it like a Cabernet, it will reward you in the same way.’

As for who drove the improvements, the Pinotage Association, a producer-driven body formed in 1995 to promote and advance the variety, deserves credit. The Top 10 Pinotage competition, launched in 1997 by the association, has done much to increase public awareness.

Getting serious

So where to from here? If producers in the mid-1990s were unjustifiably cocky about just how wonderful Pinotage was, they are now more technically proficient and world-wise about marketing.

‘In the past 15 years, wines have come to be made a lot more for enjoyment and a lot less for contemplation,’ says Guy Webber of Stellenzicht in Stellenbosch. ‘Pinotage was made to be quirky. Now it’s being made to be compared to any other good wine on the international market. It’s a lot more friendly and a lot less of a South African oddity.’

• First R1000 Pinotage released

This might imply that modern Pinotage is very much in the fruit-forward, inelegant style stereotypically associated with New World wines, but there is very much an appreciation that finesse and complexity need to feature too. ‘We’ve moved away from thin, weedy wines with harsh tannins to wines with riper, more concentrated fruit,’ says Wynand Lategan of Lanzerac. ‘The next step, the holy grail, is balance: even better fruit expression, more subtle tannins and a more elegant finish.’

Hamilton Russell believes Pinotage is ‘not very appealing’ when it expresses merely basic varietal characters and needs a site where it goes beyond this – hence Walker Bay with its clay-rich soils which he believes give a ‘more refined, classical’ version of Pinotage. As new wine drinkers become more sophisticated, they will increasingly not settle for the more simple wines, he says. ‘When it comes to simplification and mass appeal, the New World has overplayed its hand,’ he says.

Taste of terroir

Regional typicity is intriguing: most of the top Pinotage performers come from Stellenbosch. The wines are typically rich and concentrated and it’s no coincidence this district has a high occurrence of old-vine Pinotage – half the grapes at Kanonkop, for instance, come from vineyards 40 years or more in age.

In terms of flavour profile, Stellenbosch Pinotage typically displays black cherry, plum and blackcurrant fruit with firm tannins. Beeslaar reckons Stellenbosch is particularly suited to the variety. ‘We’re not too close to the ocean and not too inland. We get warm days and cool nights which allows for optimal flavour development.’

• Regional profile: Franschhoek

While Stellenbosch Pinotage is the benchmark, there is another emerging style that should not be overlooked – being more red-fruited, medium bodied and reminiscent of Pinot Noir. Such wines usually come from cooler, more maritime areas such as Walker Bay and it will be interesting to see if these gain a popular following in years to come.

As for the ageworthiness of modern Pinotage, the jury is out. Some believe that as long as the wine has the fruit concentration to carry the significant amounts of new wood now in vogue, as well as sufficiently low pH levels, there is no reason why they shouldn’t mature well. Others fear that with greater ripeness and new oak, the wines will lack the inherent energy to go the distance.

‘Making top-end Pinotage is a challenge,’ says Beeslaar. ‘Most consumers want whatever they buy to be accessible when young. Then there are the die-hards who want the stuff to last 30 years.’ Noone said getting Pinotage on the world stage would be easy. But at least the stage is set.

Written by Christian Eedes for Decanter.com

The second vintage of the world's most expensive Pinotage has been launched this week.

The second vintage of Stellenbosch producer Kanonkop’s 1000 Rand (US$138) Pinotage launched in Johannesburg on Monday but will not go on sale until September 22.

The inaugural release, the 2006 Black Label Pinotage, sold out in three hours. While Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar admits the 2007 is ‘lighter, more Pinot Noir in style’ to the 2006, it is expected to sell as quickly.

Beeslaar said: ‘We made the wine because this blend was totally different in style. It doesn’t have the typical aromatics of Pinotage and shows people how different Pinotage can be.’

The wine is made from 57 year-old vines on the B202 block.

It will only be available through online retailers www.winesociety.co.za and www.cybercellars.co.za.

Written by Rebecca Gibb

The most expensive Pinotage in the world has just been launched – from South African estate Kanonkop.

The renowned Stellenbosch farm’s Black Label 2006 is priced at R1000 (£83) a bottle excluding delivery costs, with 600 bottles already sold out and the remaining 400 coming onto the market in March at a price yet to be set.

Kanonkop owner Johann Krige said the 2007 will be released in September this year and the 2008 in March next year.

By 2012 the Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage 2012 will be sold in November of the same year, prior to release while still in barrel.

‘En primeur, Bordeaux style,’ Krige said, adding he was confident a secondary market can be developed.

According to Krige, the Black Label has ‘more body, more structure’ than the property’s industry benchmark, a Pinotage that has grown into an 80,000-bottle brand.

From 57-year-old vines, it’s ‘a big wine’ but ‘less typical Pinotage’ than the 2007 vintage of the established, somewhat sweeter version that will sell for R190 a bottle from March.

R1000 a bottle puts it among the highest price tags for South African wines on release.

The highest price for a current-release South African red at source is R1200 per bottle of the 2006 Rust en Vrede ‘1694’ blend – around £100 a bottle before shipping.

The next priciest Pinotage is the Ashbourne 2005 from Hamilton Russell Vineyards, retailing in Cape Town for R424 a bottle.

Kanonkop Black Label 2006 is available from www.cybercellar.com and www.wadebales.com.

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Written by Mike Froud in Cape Town

South Africa 1999: Keep

A small crop. Pinotage performed well

3/5

Weather Conditions

An inauspicious start, with relatively warm winter, with early budding, but a cool snap during flowering cut yields in some varieties – notably pinotage – to concentrate fruit and raise quality. An intermittent, two-month heatwave just before harvest made for a second year of big reds, though 1999s less fruity and plump than 1998s.

Best Appellations

Coastal and ‘Mountain’ regions: Constantia, Helderberg, Durbanville, Walker Bay, Bot River, Simonsberg-Helshoogte-Stellenbosch, Elgin, Franschhoek and the ‘Atlantic Fringe’ along the West Coast (Darling, Swartland, Vredendal, Cederberg).

Best Producers

Vergelegen (Cabernet Sauvignon and estate Bordeaux blend and Syrah); Kanonkop (Pinotage and Paul Sauer estate Bordeaux blend,); Havana Hills (Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot); Grangehurst (Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot); Rust en Vrede (Estate Wine and Merlot); Thelema (Cabernet and Merlot); Vera Cruz (Shiraz); Veenwouden (‘Classic’ Bordeaux blend and Merlot); Cordoba (Crescendo – Merlot-Cabernet Franc blend); Spice Route (Merlot and Syrah); Le Riche (Reserve Cabernet); Morgenhof (Merlot and Premiere Selection, Bordeaux blend); Saxenberg (Private Collection Merlot, PC Syrah); Newton-Johnson (Pinot Noir); Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir; Neil Ellis (Reserve Cabernet and Shiraz); Boekenhoutskloof (Syrah and Cabernet); L’Avenir (Cabernet and Pinotage) Radford Dale (Merlot); Fairview Shiraz; Hidden Valley Pinotage; Kaapzicht Pinotage; Rustenberg (Peter Barlow Cab. Sauvignon and Rustenberg Estate Bordeaux blend); Stellenzicht Syrah; Steenberg Merlot; Graham Beck (The Ridge Shiraz and Old Road Pinotage); Waterford (Kevin Arnold Shiraz); Villiera (Shiraz and Cru Monro Bordeaux Blend); Welgemeend, Estate Bordeaux blend; De Trafford (Estate Reserve Bordeaux blend).

South Africa 1994: Drink soon

A variable year but some good Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Shiraz was made

3/5

Weather Conditions

Among the hottest, driest, shortest vintages of recent times in South Africa ; much lower yields and generally concentrated fruit. But the heat waves rushed the ripening and growers were often forced to pick beyond – and before – ideal ripeness. Excessive alcohols – nudging 15% sometimes – did nothing for elegance. Variable tannins.

Those with tough tannins (Cabernets) will never come round completely; but most can (should) be kept another 2-5 years. Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage can be drunk now. (Cape 96s are generally already more approachable than 94s).

Best Appellations

Best regions: Stellenbosch, Constantia, Paarl, Wellington, Franschhoek, Walker Bay.

Best Producers

Stellenbosch: Cordoba (Shiraz); Simonsig (Shiraz); Blaauwklippen (Cab.S); Le Bonheur (Cab.S); Vlottenburg Co-op (Cab.); Kanonkop (Bordeaux blend, Paul Sauer, Cab.) Lievland (Cab.); Saxenburg PC (Cab.); Thelema (Cab. & Merlot); Grangehurst (Merlot); Overgaauw (Merlot); Stellenzicht (Bordeaux blend & Pinotage & Syrah.); Rozendal (Bordeaux blend); Eikendal (Bordeaux blend, Res.); L’Avenir (Cab.); Morgenhof (Cab.); Neil Ellis (Cab.) Warwick (Cab.); Simonsig (Pinotage), Zonnebloem* (Pinotage); Meerlust (Bordeaux blend, Rubicon). Stellenryck (Cab.).

Paarl:

KWV Cathedral Cellar * (Bordeaux blend, Triptych, Pinotage); Villiera (Bordeaux blend, Cru Monro); Plaisir de Merle (Cab.). Backsberg (Merlot); Bellingham (Pinotage).

Constantia: Klein Constantia (Shiraz).

Wellington (Paarl): Veenwouden (Bordeaux blend, Classic).

Franschhoek: L’Ormarins (Bordeaux blend, Optima); Cabriere (Pinot Noir).

Walker Bay: Bouchard-Finlayson (Pinot Noir); Beaumont (Pinotage).

South Africa 1992: Drink now

A good vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage

2/5

Weather Conditions

Dry, cool start to the season, then some showers (requiring more than usual sprays against mildew) prefacing a typically warm Cape summer – for good, rich red wines. In retrospect, did not live up to initial optimistic forecasts.

Best Appellations

Again Stellenbosch, Constantia, Paarl, and Franschhoek made the best wines.

Best Producers

Stellenbosch: Le Bonheur (Bordeaux blend, Prima); Kanonkop (Bordeaux blend Paul Sauer, Cab. Pinotage); Simonsig (Pinotage); Thelema (Cab.S); Vriesenohof (Bordeaux blend, Kallista); Stellenryck Collctn. (Cab.); Saxenburg PC (Cab.); Neil Ellis (Cab.); Uitkyk (Cab. Carlonet); Lievland (Shiraz); Uiterwyk (Pinotage); Vergenoegd (Bordeaux blend).

Constantia: Buitenverwachting (Bordeaux blend, Christine); Klein Constantia (Cab.); Groot Constantia (Bordeaux blend Gouverneur’s Res.).

Franschhoek: Chamonix (Cab.) La Motte (Shiraz).

Paarl: Fairview (Merlot); Backsberg (Merlot); KWV Cathedral Cellar * (Cab. & Pinotage).