14 September 2010

Top Ten Pinotages - 2010

The Top Ten Pinotages 2010 are, in alphabetical order:

  • Altydgedacht Pinotage 2009 (Durbanville)
  • Anura Reserve Pinotage 2008 (Paarl)
  • Fairvew Pinotage 2009 (Coastal)
  • Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage 2008 (Worcester vineyards)
  • Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2007 (Stellenbosch)
  • Lyngrove Platinum Pinotage 2008 (Stellenbosch)
  • Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2006 (Tulbagh)
  • Welbedacht Estate Pinotage 2008 (Wellington)
  • Die Laan Pinotage 2008 (Stellenbosch) from the Welgevallen Kelder
  • Wildekrans Barrel Selection 2008 (Botrivier)


I find it regreshing to see so many new names in the winners list but of course they take the place of some well loved familiar names.

Neil Pendock called it Changing the Guards at Pinotage Palace noting that the Pinotage's traditional terroir this time only supplied two of Top 10.

Interestingly the Die Laan is made by students studying winemaking at the Stellenbosch University in the small cellar adjoining the house that Abraham Perold lived in while serving as the University's first Professor of Viniculture and Oenology.

Does the influx of new names mean that the mystery of making great wines from the challenging Pinotage variety is no secret any more? If so, the Pinotage Association must be congratulated on their work in research and disseminating their findings.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous15:41

    Peter - Getting ready to have a wine party and was drawn to the Pinotage for its rich history in representing South Africa. Do you have any recommendations for a Pinotage that is broadly available in the US?
    Thanks, Steve

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  2. Hi Steve

    The US is enormous and distribution is patchy. Two widely distributed Pinotages worth of attention are Simonsig 'Red Hill' and Kanonkop Estate.

    Email me with your location and I'll see if I can give more recs. Email address is at top right under my photo.

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