Pinotage- the word combines two grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Hermitage, better known as Cinsault these days. But if you just assume its taste according to its name, you will go wrong for sure. It doesn�t taste like Pinto Noir. Not true. In fact, this South African grape looks and tastes more like Shiraz even though Pinotage is technically related to Pinot Noir. Many people haven�t heard more about this deliciously dark grape. Actually Pinotage has struggled with a very bad reputation for the last 2 decades. But things are changing now and this signature grape of South Africa has stated gaining popularity again.
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Abraham Izak Perold[/caption]
The seedlings seem to have spent the next seven years largely ignored. In 1935, Theron grafted the plants which came from the seedlings on newly established Richter 57 and Richter 99 rootstock at Welgevallen. This could be another one of the coincidences that seem to indicate a benevolent eye looking out for the yet to be established varietal, since most of the long-established rootstock at Welgevallen were soon thereafter found to be severely infected with viral disease that they had to be destroyed.
Perold used to make regular visits to his old stamping grounds. It was on one of these visits that Theron showed the four grafted vines to him. Perold re-gathered the enthusiasm of ten years ago, and suggested the new variety to be propagated as soon as possible. According to legend, it was during that visit to the vineyards of Welgevallen, the name Pinotage was born.
The graft that grew and performed significantly better than the rest of the grafts was chosen as the mother material of this new vinous trend. It�s generally accepted that Elsenburg was the site for the first experimental vineyard of Pinotage. Lecturer CT de Waal is credited for making the first Pinotage wine in some small casks at Elsenburg in 1941. The farm Myrtle Grove near Sir Lowry�s Pass will go down in history as the place where the first commercial planting of Pinotage was made.
The result of the crossing between Cinsaut and Pinot Noir was never expected. The Pinotage grapes were extremely dark in color and the wine they created was bold and really high in tannin and anthocyanin -nothing like it�s the progenitors. Despite the difference in flavor, Pinotage eventually became the 2nd most planted grape in South Africa.
Since Pinotage is such a great wine producing grape, producers often made very low-quality commercial wine with it. It didn�t help that Pinotage. It was such an inky, such a dark grape, that it made it possible for the wineries to stretch their wine as thin as possible. What the winemakers didn�t realize back in the 1980�s and 1990�s was that Pinotage is a tricky wine to make well. Fortunately, in the last few years,�several producers have worked together�and focused on reducing the crop yields and used careful winemaking techniques to manage this unique grape.
Don�t be scared. Experiment. Make a shredded pork risotto with Pinotage as a major contributor to the sauce, as well as to the cook�s enjoyment. Wake up late on a Saturday morning, and have a glass of Pinotage with bacon and scrambled eggs in the breakfast. A well-aged Pinotage often has chocolate flavors in it. Make a chocolate pancake or dark chocolate truffle cake, and surprise your friends with how well a sparkling Pinotage accompanies that. The grape and the wine have an infinite variety of shades and moods, and only your imagination limits its uses. And sometimes a glass of Pinotage with nothing else may just make you feel in the heaven.
Abraham Izak Perold[/caption]
Pinotage- A historical creation
Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University while attempting to combine the best qualities of the robust Hermitage with Pinot noir physically brushed a male Hermitage (Cinsaut) flower against a pollen donor Pinot Noir created Pinotage. Professor Perold did this experiment in the garden of his official residence at Welgevallen Experimental farm in 1925. The experiment created four seeds that he planted in the same garden. People believe that he was trying to create a baby with the best characteristics of mum and dad � the classic Pinot taste of Burgundy with the easy-to-grow, disease-resistant quality of Cinsaut. Perold seems to have forgotten about the experiment he did. He left the university two years later. His official residence at Welgevallen stood empty for a long time, and the garden became overgrown. The university administration gave the job of cleaning it up to a team. That could have been the end of Pinotage, but a coincidence saved it. A lecturer, Dr. Charlie Niehaus thankfully knew about the four seedlings created by Professor Perold, happened to cycle past the professor�s former residence just as the clean-up team entered the garden. He was just in time to save the seedlings. These were then re-established by Perold�s successor, CJ Theron in the nursery at Elsenburg Agricultural College.
The seedlings seem to have spent the next seven years largely ignored. In 1935, Theron grafted the plants which came from the seedlings on newly established Richter 57 and Richter 99 rootstock at Welgevallen. This could be another one of the coincidences that seem to indicate a benevolent eye looking out for the yet to be established varietal, since most of the long-established rootstock at Welgevallen were soon thereafter found to be severely infected with viral disease that they had to be destroyed.
Perold used to make regular visits to his old stamping grounds. It was on one of these visits that Theron showed the four grafted vines to him. Perold re-gathered the enthusiasm of ten years ago, and suggested the new variety to be propagated as soon as possible. According to legend, it was during that visit to the vineyards of Welgevallen, the name Pinotage was born.
The graft that grew and performed significantly better than the rest of the grafts was chosen as the mother material of this new vinous trend. It�s generally accepted that Elsenburg was the site for the first experimental vineyard of Pinotage. Lecturer CT de Waal is credited for making the first Pinotage wine in some small casks at Elsenburg in 1941. The farm Myrtle Grove near Sir Lowry�s Pass will go down in history as the place where the first commercial planting of Pinotage was made.
The result of the crossing between Cinsaut and Pinot Noir was never expected. The Pinotage grapes were extremely dark in color and the wine they created was bold and really high in tannin and anthocyanin -nothing like it�s the progenitors. Despite the difference in flavor, Pinotage eventually became the 2nd most planted grape in South Africa.
Recognition
There was general excitement at the results of the early commercial plantings of Pinotage vines. The grapes ripened early, high sugar levels were achieved easily and the vines stayed healthy and vigorous. The early wines also showed a deeper, more intense ruby color than either parent did. Some tasters liked the viscosity of the newcomer, others were daunted by the acetone-like taste which was to bedevil Pinotage�s development for many decades. The first real recognition came in 1959 when a Bellevue red wine made from Pinotage was designated the champion wine at the Cape Young Wine Show. The incident was repeated in 1961 by a Pinotage from Kanonkop Estate. Stellenbosch Farmer�s Winery (SFW) was first to use the name Pinotage on a label when, in 1961, they marketed the 1959 champion Pinotage wine, from Bellevue Estate, under the Lanzerac brand. This success, and the knowledge of how robust and early-ripening the variety was, inspired more and more farmers to plant Pinotage. Many farmers over-produced and a lack of skill in handling those grape in the cellar resulted in wines of lower quality. Much of the grapes harvest were used for bulk productions, blending in other brands or for cheap jug wines, or was even distilled for brandy.Pinotage & Its Bad Reputation
Since Pinotage is such a great wine producing grape, producers often made very low-quality commercial wine with it. It didn�t help that Pinotage. It was such an inky, such a dark grape, that it made it possible for the wineries to stretch their wine as thin as possible. What the winemakers didn�t realize back in the 1980�s and 1990�s was that Pinotage is a tricky wine to make well. Fortunately, in the last few years,�several producers have worked together�and focused on reducing the crop yields and used careful winemaking techniques to manage this unique grape.
International Success
At the 1991 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, history was made when the Kanonkop Pinotage received the Robert Mondavi Trophy as the Best Red Wine and Beyers Truter, then the winemaker at Kanonkop, was nominated as International Winemaker of the Year. The judges sang Pinotage praises and used phrases such as �excellent wine and grape variety with tremendous potential�, and the �future of South Africa�, and �Pinotage should be taken seriously�. Since then a separate category was created for this variety, putting it on the same level as the traditional European varieties. In 1995, James Suckling, the editor of American Spectator, visited the Cape for a tasting of old Kanonkop Pinotages. He was amazed by the taste and then declared by shouting: �What the hell is going on here? These are spectacular, spectacular!� At last, after seventy years, South Africa�s home-hero wine was receiving the kind of acclaim for which it had been waiting for.Pinotage- The Wine
Pinotage naturally produces deep red varietal wines and now has a vast range of blending varieties that has brought the taste of South Africa right on the table of people all around the world. Pinotage is very dense in color and bold in flavor with notes of plum sauce, tobacco, blackberry, tar and licorice. It�s very common to find purple or black fruits in Pinotage, but occasionally you�ll taste amazing red fruit flavors of raspberry, red licorice and even red bell pepper. On great bottles of Pinotage Wines, you�ll be amazed by the flavors other than fruit. A wide array of other flavors include: dried leaves, bacon, sweet and sour sauce, hoisin and sweet pipe tobacco. Regarding tannin factor, you should expect Pinotage to have bold tannins with a sweet note on the finish -almost like flavored smoke. As far as acidity is concerned, the grape is typically high pH (low acidity) so most winemakers will acidify their wines early in the fermentation process so the acids are more integrated. Well-integrated acidification is unnoticeable although some tasters appear to be more sensitive to this trait than others.Pinotage & Food
There are no rules about food and wine. There are only silly conventions which people are changing. Good Pinotage goes well with most good food. The medium-bodied, �lifestyle� Pinotage pairs particularly well with a freshly-caught fish or a hearty winter bean soup. Try it also with sashimi and sushi. Ratatouille, Bobotie and some curry dishes also taste better with a glass of Pinotage next to your plate. Full-bodied Pinotage is better suited to venison, spare ribs with a rich barbecue sauce.
Don�t be scared. Experiment. Make a shredded pork risotto with Pinotage as a major contributor to the sauce, as well as to the cook�s enjoyment. Wake up late on a Saturday morning, and have a glass of Pinotage with bacon and scrambled eggs in the breakfast. A well-aged Pinotage often has chocolate flavors in it. Make a chocolate pancake or dark chocolate truffle cake, and surprise your friends with how well a sparkling Pinotage accompanies that. The grape and the wine have an infinite variety of shades and moods, and only your imagination limits its uses. And sometimes a glass of Pinotage with nothing else may just make you feel in the heaven.
