"You’ll be reading a fair bit about Pinot varieties over the next few weeks, as we get closer to wine fest time. First off the bat,Pinotage, a red wine grape originally bred in South Africa, where it is the signature variety.
Here in B.C., Inniskillin’s Discovery Series includes a slightly spicy Pinotage that boasts a heavy palate of red fruit, with a nose of cherry, raspberry and prune. A few layers of toasted vanilla lead the nose to a nice finish. Match with rich pastas, braised meats or savoury stews.
Eric says of the South African wines that their track record is slim. We don’t know yet how these wines will age, thus dismissing 350 years of continuous wine production.
Since he gets so much so wrong, how much reliance can be placed on his opinion of Pinotage as a distinctive wine that is made virtually nowhere else in the world, but almost nobody likes or wants that wine?
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My question is -- which winery is growing this Pinotage?
Some clues. I have been in New Zealand for the past month or more and this picture was taken on 31 December 2008 in the grounds of a major New Zealand winery which is famous, especially in Britain which is a major importer, for Sauvignon Blanc wines.
If you know anything about NZ wine you’ll recognise the winery name; we’re not talking about some garagiste winery you’ve never heard of.
But the winery does not list a Pinotage varietal among its wines, so you’ll find no help on winery websites. The size of the grapes in the picture may give you a clue as to whether we are on the North or South Island, and that in turn may indicate the region.
It’s a near impossible question, so don’t hold back – have a guess and have a go!
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Learn more about my new book telling all about Pinotage and read sample pages at
A Year in Paarl
A I Perold's
A Treatise
on Viticulture
A I Perold (1880-1941) was South Africa's first Professor of Viticulture and Oenology. He dedicated himself to improving the quality of grapes for wine, brandy and the table. He studied wine and brandy production in Europe, imported more than 60 varieties to the Cape and bred new ones. Perold said this book “is intended to serve both the student and the practical grape-grower. There are in it technical passages that will appeal more to the student, e.g. the chapters dealing with the biology of the vine, its external and internal morphology, the theory of grafting. My remarks on the practice of viticulture, such as those dealing with the propagation, manuring and pruning of the vine, the production of table grapes for export, will, it is hoped, assist the practical grape-grower as well as the student.” This is a newly typeset reprint, not a photocopy. Text on the 712 pages have been aligned to match the original pagination so any external references to pages in the Treatise will be valid in this edition
Available in paperback and hardback editions. 712 pages
with
A I Perold
Dr Perolds report on his Paarl experiments 1915 - 1916 reprinted with glossary, introduction and brief biography. Fascinating historical document on viticulture for wine and table grapes, wine and brandy making.
