WoTM - Stellenrust Corner Stone Pinotage 2023, WO Stellenbosch

 

My Wine of The Month for May is Stellenrust Corner Stone Pinotage 2023, WO Stellenbosch.

It is fermented in open concrete tanks with manual punch down of the cap every two hours for another 4-5 days. The wine is then drained from the skins and further fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation has been completed, it is matured in 100% French oak over a period of 12-14 months.

There's sweet berry fruits and about an hour after opening the wine really opened up and became smoothly supple. This wine no doubt has a long life, but why wait when it's lovely and so enjoyable now.

I visited the winery for a tasting in November last year and brought Corner Stone home with me.

Gold Medallion Celebrates Pinotage Centenary

  

Madame May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, owner of Glenelly Estate who previously owned   Bordeaux 2nd Growth estate Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, marked a once-in-a-lifetime occasion by striking a gold medallion commemorating 100 years of Pinotage shortly after her 100th birthday on May 17.

“This is more than symbolic,” said Madame May, a Bordeaux-born grande dame of wine whose South African wine journey started at the age of 78. “Pinotage and I were both born in 1925 — it’s a beautiful story that our lives have crossed like this. I’ve always admired Pinotage for its complexity and character, and I’m deeply honoured to be part of this moment.”

Prof. Izak Perold created Pinotage in 1925. The 24-carat pure gold medallion, weighing one troy ounce (31.1 grams), was designed and sculpted by Natanya van Niekerk, award-winning numismatist and director of the private Cape Mint. It forms part of an edition limited to 300 gold medallions. 

The medallion features Prof. Perold in relief and bears the parent grape varieties’ names, Pinot Noir & Hermitage (Cinsaut) on either side with Pinotage in the middle, Perold’s signature, and a laurel wreath of grapes, a symbol of South Africa’s rich wine heritage.

The tiny angel flying over a wine glass was inspired by a family story shared by Perold’s granddaughter about him calling exceptional wine “engeltjiepiepie”. Each medallion will be hand-finished with a touch of red enamel, symbolising wines “touched by an angel”.

Madame May struck this launch edition medallion using a hand press capable of applying 1.5 tons of pressure.  

“I have always cherished medallions and am a collector myself,” she said, “but this is the first time I’ve seen how one is made — and to do it myself for a cause so close to my heart is unforgettable,” she said, while praising the exquisite design on the Pinotage medallion.

Beyers Truter, chairman of the Pinotage Association noted: “Pinotage should be registered as a South African asset — just like gold. This medallion not only marks the past but will also carry Pinotage’s story into the future. Both the wine and this medallion will increase in worth and meaning as time goes on.”

WoTM - Stellenbosch Vineyards Bushvine Pinotage 2023

 

My Wine of The Month for April is Stellenbosch Vineyards Bushvine Pinotage 2023, WO Stellenbosch.

It was pale and would have benefitted from keeping a while longer because it seemed its acidity overwhelmed its fruits.

But it was much better with food where its mouth drying tannins made one want another glass. There were some floral notes, maybe violets, but one felt the declared14.5% abv.

If I had more, I'd keep them for a few more years to soften tannins and let the fruits out.

WoTM - Alvi's Drift '221' Pinotage 2022

 

My Wine of The Month for March is Alvi's Drift '221' Pinotage 2022, WO Scherpenheuval. 

It came about because I was wanting to buy a cook's apron. On Amazon the one I purchased had a series of pictures of the apron, and a video of it in action*. 

Among the wearers was a waiter loading a tray with glasses and a bottle of Alvi's Drift Pinotage (above). Which reminded me that I'd not had Alvi's Drift for more years than I can remember. So I looked online for a stockist  and found it stocked by a nearby independent merchant. And what a good buy.

The name '221' refers to  Alvi von der Merwe who was the 221st player to be  selected to play for the South African national rugby team, 'The Springboks'. The wine is made by his grandchildren at the family farm. 

It's Alvi's picture (I assume) that is imprinted on the wine's cork.

The wine is big and soft, redolent with fruit balanced with gentle tannins. A well made, delightful velvety and very moreish wine.

*Link to video - https://amzn.eu/d/35QBtia

WoTM - Doran Vineyards Family Reserve Pinotage 2023

 My Wine of The Month for February is Doran Vineyards Family Reserve Pinotage 2023, WO Voor-Paardeberg.

It was in September 2016 that I had my first and, though I didn't then  know it, last Doran Vineyards wine when I met owner Edwin Doran at a wine show. (see here)

So I was pleased to see this wine in an independent wine shop, all being at more than three times the cost it is in South Africa.

In the intervening years the wine has acquired a smart modern front label and a well-designed informative rear label. But what  about the contents? 

This is so drinkable, light red berry fruits to the fore. It lightly wears its 16 months stay in older oak casks; it doesn't taste oaked. I remember wine industry guru Duimpie Bayley saying that oak aging should be like a dance floor, offering support without its presence being noticed.

The bottle had emptied before we noticed.

Ukraine Joins the Pinotage Family

 Beykush Winery in Ukraine has Pinotage. It's currently a component on its Artahia blend.

According to Wineland magazine, 2,470 vines were planted in 2012, sourced from Voor Goenberg Nurseries in Wellington, because Beykush were looking for early ripening varieties.

Beykush Winery is about 35 minutes drive south of Odesa on the Black Sea.

WoTM - Heron’s Nest 2020

 

My Wine of The Month for January is a Cape Blend, Heron’s Nest Cabernet Sauvignon/Pinotage 2020, WO Western Cape.

The label is coy; it doesn’t name the producer or the component proportions. But the A Number belongs to S A Pritchard who is the owner of Clos Malverne in Devon Valley. Clos Malverne’s flagship wine is Auret which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Pinotage blend, but as that is more expensive in the Cape than I paid for Heron’s Nest in the UK I don’t think they are the same wine, but it’s one made in a similar way from bought in grapes. 

It’s a very enjoyable wine; the Cabernet calms down Pinotage’s exuberance and the Pinotage gives fruit and sweetness to the Cabernet. Thoughtful winemaking shows – there were no shortcuts as they used the basket presses  beloved by Clos Malverne and aged in French Oak barrels. I’d buy more, unfortunately for me they quickly sold out. 

100 Years of Pinotage

 

2025 is the 100th anniversary of the planting of the first Pinotage.

In South Africa’s autumn, at the beginning of 1925, Professor Abraham Izak Perold picked grapes from a Cinsaut vine whose female flowers he’d fertilised with Pinot Noir pollen the previous spring.

He planted seeds from those grapes in the spring of 2025. While all the subsequent vines had the same parents they were not identical. Most were unsuitable for use as commercial grape vines, but one was, and it was named Pinotage after its parents, Hermitage being the South African name for Cinsaut at that time.

It took time for grape farmers to plant the new variety, but early growers started winning wine-show awards with their Pinotages.

However the public had to wait until 1961 for the first commercially available Pinotage, a 1959 vintage released by Stellenbosch Farmers Winery under their Lanzerac label.