South Africa Cape red Pinotage blends: Panel tasting results

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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