2012 saw Pinotage consolidating its position in the world of
wine. We reported it growing commercially in Switzerland, Maryland USA and
Queensland, Australia, also on an experimental basis in Ohio, USA. Virginia
planted more, as did California, although the status of the oldest vineyard
there is unknown after the owners, Steltzner, sold their Napa Valley winery.

Decanter awarded its best red varietal over £10 Trophy to
Bellingham Pinotage 2010, and Barkan had double success when their Pinotage won the Grand
Champion Trophy for the Best Israeli Wine in Competition and Best Kosher
Israeli Wine at the Terravino Mediterranean International Wine and Spirit
Challenge.
Leading international mail-order wine merchant Laithwaites launched
an own label £65 single vineyard Pinotage made by Flagstone which was criticised by journalist
Christian Eedes as maybe “a little too perfect”.
Diemersfontein winery brought their popular Pinotage on Tap festival to England for the first time and
were rewarded with a stunningly beautiful summers weekend without a cloud in
the sky.
A rapt audience heard about and tasted Pinotage at my
presentation to the American Wine Society annual conference in Portland, Oregon.
Flagstone and Aaldering both launched white Pinotages, entering
the category invented by Mellasat whose Enigma has for years had the market to
itself.
During the year I drank many great Pinotages and tasted many
more. I was going to list my ‘most memorable’ or ‘wines of the year’
but there are too many. So I’ll just
capriciously mention one that got away – the beautiful Houdamond 2009 (Bellevue
Estate, rebadged for UK Marks and Spencer) that was served at my wine tasting
club’s annual dinner and dance. M&S branches were cleared by club members days
afterwards and I managed to get only a few bottles and now have just one left.
Michael Fridjhon, writing in Business Day over Christmas,
notes that New World wineries with an established track record get less respect
than fashionable newcomers.
So let me respect two long established wineries. In the past couple of days I enjoyed Uiterwyk
Estates DeWaal ‘Top of the Hill’ 2006 and Kaapzicht Estate ‘Steytler’ 2002.
Both were ripe claret in style, four square and linear. Steytler's back label suggests a
drinking window of up to eight years after vintage but this wine is just
delicious ten years on. ‘Top of the Hill’ is a single vineyard bottling from
the oldest Pinotage vineyard and at six years the wine is still a youngster.
Enjoy a Pinotage Packed 2013!
Cheers
Peter May