WOTM: Meinert Printer's Ink 2007 Pinotage

My Wine of the Month for May.

Finding Martin Meinert’s Pinotage on a hotel wine list in this remote place was a pleasant surprise. We had travelled twelve hours by ferry from Aberdeen to the Sheltand Isles, north-east of mainland Scotland, to explore the Neolithic stone circles buildings and tombs that abound there and in the Orkneys.

While waiting for the ferry that would take us to the Orkneys we had time for lunch at the Queens Hotel in Lerwick. Lerwick is both the most northerly and most easterly town in the UK and we were as close to Bergen in Norway as to Aberdeen.

The chef’s special that lunchtime was a fragrant lamb and chickpea curry. The lamb was local and the accompanying flat bread was homemade.

The wine, 2007 vintage, had sufficient bottle age to make a perfect pairing. Dark red, with sleek powerful fruit with a rich finish.

Martin Meinert was winemaker for some of South Africa’s top wineries, including Vergelegen, before he decided to go it alone. He has a private winery in the hills at the top of Devon Valley where he makes a range of wines under his Meinert label. He also partners Ken Forrester with whom he makes wine. He is the ‘M’ in their iconic ‘The FMC’ Chenin blanc.

 

For two videos of Martin making this 2007 Pinotage see www.pinotage.org/2007/04/martin-meinert-makes-pinotage-video.html





Shetland Isles, May 2013. Crossing a sand bar to the deserted St Ninian's Isle to visit the ruins of
St Ninian's Chapel which dates bach to the 12th Century.
The sky and sea are blue, the sun is hot but the wind is icy.