31 October 2012

Pinotage 'can change the way you see the world'

Bruce Jack says says of Pinotage "...when exceptional, the wine will stay with you forever, because when made correctly, it is one of the most delicious, complex wines imaginable."  

The following eloquent section of from his article about the making of Flagstones new premium barrel selection Pinotage Reserve 'Time, Manner, Place' 2010.

We love the variety. Like its mother, Pinot Noir, only a few examples of Pinotage can be life-changing for the drinker. But when exceptional, the wine will stay with you forever, because when made correctly, it is one of the most delicious, complex wines imaginable.

Pinotage, the grape, has received completely unjustifiable bad press. On average one can taste just as many disappointing Pinot Noirs while visiting Burgundy, but no one blames the grape. You’ll sooner be told the reason a wine is bad, is because the grower’s wife had an affair with the neighbour, than there is any fault with Pinot Noir, the grape.

Yet, when encountering a bad Pinotage, the grape is always blamed. Why is this? Is it because Pinotage is a South African creation, and most of the critics are European-obsessed? Who knows... What we do know is that Pinotage can be beautiful, but like Pinot Noir, this isn’t easy to achieve.

And when it is disappointing, first blame everything else, but don’t blame the grape. If you do, you should also dismiss Cabernet Franc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Monastrell, Grenache and all the thousands of other varieties that also produce disappointing to average wines, but when elevated through winecraft to something magnificent, can change the way you see the world. 
 
 Read Bruce's full item here  http://flagstonewines.com/blog/flagstone-time-manner-place-pinotage-reserve-the-process

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