WoTM - Stettyn Pinotage 2023

My Wine of the Month for November is Stettyn Pinotage 2023 (WO Stettyn). I was alerted to this wine by Dan who’d had it with lunch at My Couzens Family Restaurant in Gordon’s Bay during our all too short stay in the Cape in November.

 

I thought I knew all the Wine of Origin appellations, but I’d never heard of Stettyn or the winery of the same name. A few days later I saw Stettyn Pinotage on a shelf at Houw Hoek Farm Stall near Bot Rivier and had to buy. We consumed it the following night with a steak at Spur, and jolly enjoyable it was too.

 

There were plummy tones together with some blackberry flavours bound together with soft tannins. A quaffer that went perfectly with our steaks and the only disappointment was that I didn’t buy more bottles. This was a very young wine and I wonder what it’d be like with a bit more ageing.

 

We planned to visit the winery but ran out of time. It’s located on the R43 between Villiersdorp and Worcester. Next time. 

WoTM - KWV Mentors Pinotage 2020

My Wine of the Month for October is the KWV Mentors Pinotage 2020 (WO Stellenbosch) that I opened on Pinotage Day earlier this month.

It's a big brooding beast in a heavy statement bottle. The back label says 'Can be enjoyed now, but will benefit for aging for a further five years' which is fairly meaningless as it doesn't say when the five years starts from. Is it the vintage year, as it says further aging? Is from the bottling date although they don't say when that is? Is it when one buys it, or when one opens it? Who knows?

I opened it four and a half years since the grapes were picked and I should have kept it longer, as it was closed - keeping it's promised glories tightly packed. Oh yes, it was enjoyable but for the feeling it would blossom with more age and that I'd opened it too soon.

Pinotage Day - TODAY

 

Every year on the second Saturday of October, we celebrate Pinotage Day – a tribute to its journey from ancient soils to our tables, evolving in the hands of skilled artisans. This remarkable variety represents the heart of South African winemaking, a blend of culture, care,  and heritage.

I'm opening KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2020 today.

Wishing you the joy of a glass or more of Pinotage.

Cheers!!!

WoTM - Mhudi Pinotage 2020

 

My Wine of The Month for September is Mhudi Pinotage 2020, WO Coastal Region

Time flies - it was in 2008 that I visited the Rangakas at Mhudi and almost as long as I've tasted their Pinotage.

Thanks to The Wine Society now I again can. The first thing that struck me, after the £17.50 price, was its heavy bottle with deep punt, and DIAM cork.

Dark colour, berry flavours with plums to the fore and a really silky mouthfeel. A delicious wine.

Read about my visit to Mhudi here

I didn't notice chocolate on the nose

Pinotage Winners 2024

Winners of the Pinotage Top 10, Cape Blend and Rose competitions 2024 are:

Perold Absa Pinotage Top 10 Awards

Winners

• Beeslaar Wines - Beeslaar Pinotage 2022 (WO: Stellenbosch), Abrie Beeslaar
• Beyerskloof Wines - Beyerskloof Winemakers Reserve Pinotage 2022 (WO: Stellenbosch), Anri Truter
• Diemersdal Wine Estate - Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2022 (WO: Durbanville),Thys Louw, Juandre Bruwer
• Flagstone Winery - Flagstone Writer's Block Pinotage 2021 (WO: Swartland), Gerhard Swart
• Francois van Niekerk Wines - Francois van Niekerk Pinotage 2022 (WO: Coastal), Francois van Niekerk
• Kanonkop Wine Estate - Kanonkop Pinotage 2018 (WO: Simonsberg – Stellenbosch), Abrie Beeslaar
• Koelenhof Cellar - Stellenbosch 1679 Old Vine Pinotage 2022 (WO: Stellenbosch), Nicholas Husselman, Handre Visagie
• Rijk's Cellar - Rijk's Private Cellar Pinotage 2020 (WO: Tulbagh), Adriaan Jacobs
• Wellington Wines - La Cave Pinotage 2022 (WO: Wellington), Daniel Slabber
• Windmeul Cellar - Windmeul The Legend Collection Pinotage 2022 (WO: Paarl), Abraham van Heerde

Runners-up

• Beeslaar Wines - Beeslaar Pinotage 2021
• Bellingham - The Bernard Series Bushvine Pinotage 2021
• Beyerskloof Wines Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2021
• Diemersdal Wine Estate - Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2023
• Durbanville Hills - Collectors Reserve The Promenade Pinotage 2022
• Flagstone Winery - Flagstone Truth Tree Pinotage 2021
• Glen Carlou Vineyards - The Glen Carlou Collection Pinotage 2022
• KWV - The Mentors Pinotage 2020
• Raka Wines - Raka Pinotage 2022
• Windmeul Cellar - Windmeul Reserve Pinotage 2021

Perold Absa Cape Blend Awards

Winners

• Bellevue Wine Estate - Bellevue Atticus Cape Blend, 2022, WO Bottelary, Winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger.
• Fuselage Wines - Fuselage Wines Pilot & Navigator, 2021 , WO Paarl, Winemaker Danie Morkel.
• Koelenhof Wynkelder - Koelenbosch Nineteenfortyone, 2022, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Handré Visagie & Nicholas Husselman.
• Rooiberg Winery - Rooiberg Winery Reserve Cape Blend, 2022, WO Robertson, Winemaker JJ Simonis.
• uniWines Vineyards - Daschbosch The Gift, 2020, WO Breedekloof, Winemaker WS Visagie.
• Warwick Wine Estate - Warwick Three Cape Ladies Cape Blend, 2021, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker JD Pretorius.

Runners-up

Beyerskloof - Beyerskloof Traildust, 2022, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Anri Truter.

Beyerskloof - Beyerskloof Faith Cape Blend, 2021, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Anri Truter.

L'Avenir Wine Estate - L'Avenir Stellenbosch Classic Cape Blend, 2020, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Dirk Coetzee.

Truter Family Wines - Truter Family Wines Agaat John David, 2022, WO Western Cape, Winemaker Hugo Truter.

Pinotage Rosé Awards

Winners

• Aaldering Vineyards - Aaldering Pinotage Rosé, 2024, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Jaco Parson.
• Bon Courage Estate - Bon Courage Lady of the House Pinotage Rosé, 2024, WO Robertson, Winemaker Philip Viljoen.
• De Grendel Wines - De Grendel Rosé, 2024, WO Coastal Region, Winemakers Morgan Steyn & Charles Hopkins.
• Deetlefs Wines - Deetlefs Stonecross Pinotage Rosé, 2024, WO Western Cape, Winemaker Philip Deetlefs.
• L'Avenir Wine Estate - L'Avenir Horizon Rosé de Pinotage, 2024, WO Stellenbosch, Winemaker Dirk Coetzee.
• Painted Wolf Wines - Painted Wolf The Den Pinotage Rosé, 2024, WO Coastal Region, Winemakers Jeremy Borg & Madre van der Walt.

 

WoTM-Warwick First Lady Pinotage 2023

 

My Wine of The Month for July is Warwick ‘The First Lady’ Pinotage 2023, WO Western Cape. 

‘The First Lady’ name is a tribute by the current owners to Norma Ratcliffe who, with her husband Stan, founded Warwick. Norma made the wines and was South Africa’s first female winemaker of modern times.

It has a raspberry nose, tastes include cherries and vanilla  with smooth subdued tannins and a creamy finish. Light, Burgundy styled easy going and very drinkable. A lovely wine. 13.5% abv.

I think it’s maybe not 100% Pinotage, maybe a little Merlot, but  Warwick’s website  is not forthcoming.

WoTM - Stellenrust Pinotage

 

My Wine of The Month for May is Stellenrust Pinotage 2021 and 2022.

We had the 2021 vintage at our favourite Asian restaurant, Chez Mumtaj. We've enjoyed it there several times in the past but in May this year it was sublime. Good fruit flavours with just a hint of coffee being ground. And of course, it went very well with our subtly spiced Lamb Rogan Josh.

Our local Tesco supermarket had it in their Finest range, but this was the 2022 vintage. It was delightful, but not quite to the level of the 2021. So I've bought more to open in one years time in the expectation that another year in the bottle will bring it to the heights of the 2021 this year. 

WoTM - Cloof Inkspot 2019

 

My Wine of The Month for April is Cloof Inkspot 2019. The bottle is festooned with stickers but it seems they were awarded by only two organisations.

The bottle has no information on what grape varieties are in it, but the man in the shop I got it from told me that it was a Cape Blend. According to Cloof's website they are Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Platter says there is a little Viognier as well.

The wine is quite firm with layers of fruit and a spine of tannins. It's well made but somehow just not very moreish and it's the first bottle in a long time that we don't finish.

WoTM - Bellevue 1953 -Vintage 2016 Pinotage

 My Wine of The Month for March is Bellevue '1953', vintage 2016.

Bellevue are a Pinotage pioneer, making the wine that was the first to be sold commercially under the Stellenbosch Family Winery brand 'Lanzerac'.

Now the old vineyard, with its twisted bush vines growing on sandy soil is having its grapes bottled separately under the year '1953' it was planted. It is one of the worlds oldest existing Pinotage vineyards. 

Only 600 bottles of 2016 vintage were produced. After nine years the wine is stately and serious. Like a fine old claret with a rounder body. The sweetness and youthful fruit has left and this wine demands a good steak or roasted loin of beef. Delicious.

 

I last had this wine at Bellevue's restaurant in 2018 when it was young and I bought a bottle home with me which I've kept till now.

See here for my report on that lunch and here for the announcement of the bottling

WoTM - DeWaal 'Top of the Hill' 2015

 

My Wine of The Month for February is DeWaal 'Top of the Hill' Pinotage 2015. This is from the world's oldest Pinotage vineyard, literally at the crown of a hill. 

The vines were planted in 1950, so they were 65 years old when this wine was made.

I've stored it since buying in 2018 and at nine years of age the wine has thrown off the fruits of youth and developed a fine Claret-like flavour. It was an excellent example of how good Pinotage develops as it ages.