In the Press

Irit Boxer-Shank is the youngest winemaker in Israel and one of only five women employed in Barkan Winery’s cellar. Dale Robertson , who interviewed her for the Houston Chronicle says, “at the moment, she's most passionate about Pinotage, a grape she believes has a superb future in the Israeli terroir.”



New Zealand’s Wanguini Chronicle says Kidnapper Cliffs Hawke's Bay Pinotage 2009, is “produced by the talented team at Te Awa, who have a long pedigree when it comes to making great Pinotage, this is a gorgeous, buxom red showing layers of sweet black tea, baking spices, plum and pepper. It has a delicious, warm, earthy character in the mouth and sensational persistence of flavour.”



Anthony Rose in The Independent (UK) includes Diemersfontein’s Pinotage in a list of wines he dislikes, saying its “its oak-derived flavours of coffee and chocolate” are “an aberration,” but he noted its great popularity. The recent appearance of Marks & Spencer’s Coffee Pinotage Mochatage and Tesco’s mocha-flavoured Choccochino Shiraz which are “as distasteful as the Diemersfontein Pinotage I so dislike. But I have no doubt that to those who like the taste of chocolate in their wine, they will be extremely popular.”

He say that this “goes to show that however objective we try to be about taste, beauty in the long run is in the eye – and nose – of the beholder.”


However Koos Kombuis at South Africa’s Mail & Guardian has made Pinotage the focus of his diet. The columnist writes “during the last few weeks, after eating mostly fat-free food and heaps of vegetables, aided by lots of Beyerskloof Pinotage wine (which, according to the manufacturers, contains a substance that actually enlarges blood vessels), my cholestrol count has miraculously dropped from 7,5 to 6,4, and I’ve lost an astonishing two-and-a-half kilogrammes”.



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5 Stars for Beyerskloof Diesel 2008

The annual announcement of wines awarded Five Stars by the Platter tasting team has just been made.

Out of more than 6,000 wines from 800 producers and brands tasted and rated for the Platter's South African Wines 2011 guide, just 58 have achieved 5 Star rating.

The only Pinotage is Beyerskloof 'Diesel' 2008.

Diesel is a premium label, named after owner Beyers Truter's dearly loved dog, that was introduced in 2008 with the 2006 vintage.

Diesel 2007 was awarded Five Stars in last year's 2010 guide. See winemaker Anrie Truter talk about the vision behind the wine and how it got its name here

The full list is

Cabernet Sauvignon
•Boekenhoutskloof 2008
•Delaire Graff Reserve 2008
•Kanonkop 2007
•Klein Constantia 2008
•Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2007
•Le Riche CWG Auction Reserve 2007

Grenache
•Neil Ellis Vineyard Selections 2008

Pinot Noir
•Meerlust 2008
•Newton Johnson Domaine 2009

Pinotage
•Beyerskloof Diesel 2008

Shiraz
•Boschendal Cecil John Reserve 2008
•De Trafford 2008 (Red Wine of the Year)
•Eagles’ Nest 2008
•Haskell Pillars 2008
•Rijk’s Private Cellar 2005
•Saxenburg Select Limited Release 2006

Merlot
•Shannon Mount Bullet 2008

Red Blends
•Ernie Els Signature 2007
•Graham Beck Ad Honorem 2007
•Hartenberg The Mackenzie Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot 2007
•Nederburg Ingenuity Red 2007
•Reyneke Reserve Red 2008
•Spier Frans K. Smit 2006
•Vergelegen Red 2005

Chardonnay
•Groot Constantia Gouverneurs 2009
•Julien Schaal 2009
•Mulderbosch 2008
•Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2008

Chenin Blanc
•Botanica 2009
•StellenRust ‘45’ Barrel Fermented 2009

Grenache Blanc
•The Foundry 2009

Sauvignon Blanc
•Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2010
•Klein Constantia Perdeblokke 2009
•Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2009
•The Berrio 2009
•Zevenwacht 360° 2009

White Blends
•Cape Point Isliedh 2009
•Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho 2009
•Lammershoek Roulette Blanc 2009
•Nederburg Ingenuity White 2009
•Nederburg Sauvignon Blanc-Chardonnay Private Bin D253 2009
•Rall White 2009
•Sadie Family Palladius 2009
•Steenberg Magna Carta 2009
•Steenberg CWG Auction Reserve The Magus 2009
•Strandveld Adamastor 2009
•Tokara Director’s Reserve White 2009

Méthode Cap Classique
•Topiary Blanc de Blancs Brut 2008
•Villiera Monro Brut 2005

Dessert Wine, Unfortified
•Fairview La Beryl Blanc 2009
•Fleur du Cap Bergkelder Selection Noble Late Harvest 2009 (White Wine of the Year)
•Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2006
•Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2009
•Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur 2009

Port
•Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2008
•De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2008
•De Krans Cape Tawny NV
•JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve 2007

Pinotage Party - Beyerskloof 2008 - Kanonkop 2006

Encouraged by Dezel's Pinotage Party I opened a Kanonkop 2006 and Beyerskloof 2008


Beyerskloof Pinotage 2008 with its white label is the standard bottling from Pinotage king Beyers Truter's winery. The 2008 example is just delicious with bags of ripe blackberry and strawberry fruit and soft tannins on the finish. This one is lovely to drink on its own and it makes a cracking match with a takeaway from the Indian restaurant. I love this wine for its sheer drinkability. It is classic Pinotage.

Beyerskloof
Pinotage 2008
WO Stellenbosch
abv 14%



Kanonkop Estate is probably the most famous Pinotage producer internationally. From the time they started bottling their own wines more than forty years ago they have specialised in only a few wines and varieties of which Pinotage is one. They were among the first to plant the variety and now have one of the oldest Pinotage vineyards planted with sixty-year old gnarled stubby bush vines on a low clay hill.

Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar (pictured right) is only Kanonkop’s third winemaker and he smoothly took the baton from Beyers Truter and ran with it, winning the IWSC International Winemaker of the Year award in 2008

2006 was a good vintage. I first tasted this at the winery on release in March 2007 and I was delighted with it. In June 2008 I said it was “showing all the signs of being another cracker. It is elegant, showing restrained berry fruits, balanced by tannins and fruit acids,” and I purchased a couple of cases intending to age them.

Opening this bottle for Dezels’s Pinotage Party I was struck first by its inviting mulberry bouquet. But on the palate is seemed to have closed up. The spicy berry flavours, so noticeable when it was young, were subdued. What we had here was a medium bodied, well balanced beautifully coloured restrained tight wine, enjoyable and serious but not as exuberant as I’d like. The maturation chart on the back label (see below) shows 2010 as the year it should reach optimum drinking, but I think I’ll age it more for maximum enjoyment.

Kanonkop Estate
Pinotage 2006
WO Estate Wine Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
14.5% abv

Beyers Truter launches FAITH Cape Blend

There is no doubt Beyers Truter is the King of Pinotage, but he is also a master of Bordeaux varieties, gaining much kudos for them when at Kanonkop and subsequently for his Beyerskloof ‘field blend’ of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

So when he melds Pinotage, Cabernet and Merlot together you know you’re going to get something special as his Synergy Cape Blends have shown.

But now comes Faith, a blend of 30% each of Cab and Merlot with 20% each of Pinotage and Shiraz. You’ll have already noted the FAITH logo on the back labels of Beyerskloof wines. FAITH is a charity set up by Truter to aid those affected by Foetal Alcohol syndrome.

The new Faith blend will directly help the charity. But it also denotes Truter’s faith in the terroir of his vineyards which is not only reflected in the wine but gravel from those vineyards is incorporated in the raised surface of the word Faith on the front label. (pictured below)

And what of the wine inside? It has just been bottled but is surprisingly approachable for a wine meant to be aged. It has an incredible red purple colour with a sweet lavender nose and it is soft on the palate; very soft and sweet. I thought it was a tremendous wine.

Only ten barrels were made and it is expected to sell at around 750R a bottle. Expensive yes, but every purchase helps the FAITH charity.

Beyers Truter is pictured above pouring tastes of Faith to diners in his restaurant.

Beyerskloof in Telegraph'sTop 10

Number 3 in Jonathan Ray's list of South Africa's Top 10 wines for the Daily Telegraph is

2008 Beyerskloof Pinotage, 14%vol, South Africa (£5.99 if you buy 3, otherwise £8.99; Wine Rack)

Pinotage, a cross between cinsault and pinot noir, is South Africa's USP, loved for its fruit by some, dismissed as tired and redolent of burnt rubber by others. In the hands of Beyerskloof's Beyers Truter, one of the grape's most vociferous supporters, it works a dream. Here, his entry-level version is ripe, juicy and full of spicy plum fruit, with no hint of rubber. Enjoy with slow roast belly of pork.

read full list here

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Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage with winemaker Anrie Truter (video)

Anrie Truter tells us about Beyerskloof's new flagship Diesel Pinotage, the inspiration for its name and how he decided to make the best Pinotage in South Africa.







The bottle Anrie is holding is the 2007 vintage with the new label that was a 2009 Top 10 winner. The initial vintage 2006 was a 2008 Top 10 winner.

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5 Platter Stars for Beyerskloof's Diesel

Earlier than usual the Platter team have announced the wines awarded five stars in the forthcoming 2010 Platter Guide, due for publication end of November.

Beyerskloof's Diesel Pinotage 2007 is the sole varietal representative in the list.

The Platter Guide annually tastes and rates more than 6,000 South African awarding from zero to a maximum of 5 stars. Very few wines achieve the highest score which indicates a wine the tasters agreed was 'superlative, a Cape classic'.

For the 2010 Guide there just 43 five-star wines, which includes 7 fortified and dessert wines.

Congratulations to Beyers Truter (pictured right) and his team at Beyerskloof. The first vintage of this barrel selection wine, named after Beyers' recently deceased and much missed dog, the 2006 vintage was a Pinotage Top 10 winner last year.

The full list of five star wines:

White Wine of the Year

Sadie Family Palladius 2008
Red Wine of the Year

Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Sauvignon blanc

Fleur du Cap Sauvignon Blanc Unfiltered 2009

Lomond Pincushion Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Tokara Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Woolworths Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Limited Release 2009

Cape Point Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2008
White blends - Bordeaux style

Woolworths Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon Reserve 2009

Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2008

The Berrio Wines The Weathergirl 2008

Vergelegen White 2008
Chenin blanc

Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2008
White blends

Nederburg Ingenuity White 2008

Rall 2008

Sadie Family Palladius 2008

Woolworths Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards Spectrum White Limited Release 2008
Chardonnay

Ataraxia Chardonnay 2008

Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2008

Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2008
Pinot noir

Newton Johnson Domaine Pinot Noir 2008

Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir 2008
Grenache

Neil Ellis Vineyard Selection Grenache 2007
Pinotage

Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2007
Red blends

Sadie Family Columella 2007

Spier Frans K. Smit 2005
Shiraz

Dunstone Shiraz 2008

Haskell Vineyards Pillars Shiraz 2007

Rustenberg Stellenbosch Syrah 2007

Saxenburg Shiraz Select Limited Release 2005
Red blends - Bordeaux style

De Trafford CWG Auction Reserve Perspective 2006

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2006

Morgenster Estate Morgenster 2006

Stony Brook Ghost Gum 2006

Woolworths Jordan Cobblers Hill Classic 2005
Cabernet Sauvignon

Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005
Port

Boplaas Vintage Reserve Port 2007

De Krans Cape Tawny Port NV

Boplaas Family Vineyards Cape Tawny Port 1997
Unfortified dessert wine

Buitenverwachting 1769 2007

Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2008

Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2008

Mullineux Family Straw Wine 2008

Congrats to all..

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Kanonkop & Beyerskloof makePremium Pinotages

The best Pinotages are going to get less good in order for the cream of the crop to be bottled separately as 'super-cuvees' at super-expensive prices.

Currently Kanonkop Pinotage costs around 18 pounds in the UK or 170 R from the winery, Beyerskloof’s top Pinotage is their black label Reserve at 8 – 11 pounds in the UK or around 100 R at the winery.

But they won’t be the best wines for much longer. Kanonkop and Beyerskloof both intend bringing out premium ‘super-cuvees’. I guess they’ve been spurred on by seeing newcomers like Ashbourne (24 pounds), Laroche’s L’Avenir Grand Vin (a stonking 27 pounds) and Francois Naudé’s own label (400 R) come on the market.

But if you’re already making the best Pinotage how do you encourage the punters to pay more? Seems like barrel selection is the answer. Identify a special barrel and – instead of using it to improve the rest – bottle it separately and price it accordingly.

Beyerskloof got two wines into the 2008 Pinotage Top 10; the Reserve and a new label called Diesel. Diesel, named after owner Beyers Truter’s recently deceased favourite hound, was a barrel selection. It was placed in a standard bottle and the normal black ‘Reserve’ label was tweaked with Diesel replacing the word Reserve.

Diesel will be the name of Beyeskloof’s new flagship Pinotage. It will have a new label and a heavily impressive new bottle. And will cost as much as three times the price of the Reserve, according to June’s issue of The Drinks Business. Retailing it at around 30 pounds brings it into line with L’Avenir Grand Vin.

But what about the Reserve? What about the standard Kanonkop? I reported back in April 2007 Kanonkop owner Johann Krige’s reaction to a question about whether they’ll be a ‘Reserve’ Kanonkop. Johann stepped in to answer vehemently that there never will be. “Kanonkop wines are the best we make,” he stated. “We only make the best. We don’t make second best wines.” But the experimental wines they have made at Kanonkop from 50 year old plus vines are “mind-boggling” according to Johann.

So does releasing a limited bottling of a special barrel selection automatically mean the standard label is not the best? It’s a moot question which they are tussling with at Kanonkop, as Johann admits in the video below taken at last months London wine fair. He wants to expose the wine to imbibers – maybe these wines will not be sold but poured at tastings



I’m torn. Pinotage is a great wine, so you would expect there to be premium priced bottles and people willing to pay the money. Problem is that I’m not one of them. Much as I like to drink the very best Pinotages, thirty quid a bottle is a bit too much for my pension. And I’m not sure how I feel about the concept of wines whose prices are yanked sky high even although they cost no more to make just in order to have a prestige premium priced wine.

As always the market will decide.

Open Day at The Home of Pinotage

Beyerskloof, the self-titled Home of Pinotage, will be hosting an Open Day on Saturday 15 November 2008

Activities will include music from Koos Kombuis, vineyard and cellar tours, 10 year old vintage tastings in the cellar, and an abundance of drinking wine and food.

For the young ones there will be pony rides as well as face painting.

Entry is by means of a Beyerskoof Passport which must be purchased in advance as none will be sold on the day.

Passports cost R200 for adults which includes unlimited wine, food, and the above mentioned activities, and R100 for children which includes one pony ride, face painting, food and cool drinks). Passports can be bought from the farm or bookings can be made with Jeanne jeanne@beyerskloof.co.za or 021 865 2135

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Beyerskloof wins IWSC Trophy

I've written before about the Beyers Truter Reserve own label made for UK supermarket Tesco. I have bought a goodly number of them myself, and by co-incidence opened a bottle of the 2006 last night.

I'm not the only fan though --- the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2008 recently announced that they'd awarded the KWV Trophy for Pinotage to Beyerskloof for their Tesco Finest Beyers Truter Pinotage 2006.

7000 wines from more than 70 countries were entered into the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2008, the premier competition of its kind in the world, held in London . Amongst the Trophies being announced 15 were open to wines from anywhere in the world. South Africa picked up five trophies and it is remarkable that four of the trophies were won by producers that come from within a radius of ten kilometres. The other three, some from wineries that have appeared on these pages for their Pinotages, are The Mission Hill Family Estate Trophy for Chardonnay presented to Delheim Wines for their Delheim Chardonnay Sur Lie 2007.The Spier Trophy for Merlot presented to Hartenberg for their Hartenberg Merlot 2005. The Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for Blended Red Wine presented to Kanonkop Wine Estate for their Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2003.

Pictured left to right are Beyers Truter (Beyerskloof), Abrie Beeslaar (Kanonkop), Brenda van Niekerk (Delheim) and Carl Schultz (Hartenberg).

Cape Blends and Pinotages at 2008 CWG Auction

Cape Winemakers Guild annually auctions rare small production special wines made by their members. This year’s auction, the 23rd, will be on Saturday 27 September 2008 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.


Niels Verburg, owner/winemaker of Luddite, was in London last week showing the wines.

Of interest to Pinotage fans are Cape Blends from Danie Steytler of Kaapzicht Estate and Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof, who also has a varietal Pinotage in the auction. These three were available to taste. Not available for tasting, but in the auction is a mature CWG Pinotage last auctioned in 2001. This is Hidden Valley CWG Pinotage 2000 made by Jeremy Walker of Grangehurst


It was interesting to compare two Cape Blends from recognised masters of the style.

Kaapzicht Cape Blend Auction Reserve 2006 (Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Pinotage 30%, Merlot 20%) WO Bottelary, 14.29%abv. Danie says the three cultivars were vinified separately, then the best tanks went to new French oak barrels sourced from three different coopers for 24 months. The best barrels were selected for blending for this wine of which 1320 bottles were made. 50 cases of 6 are in the auction. Danie reckons it needs at least 4-6 years “for the treasures to be revealed.”

I found dense fruit in this tight firm tannic wine that cried out for decanting. I found it acidic on the finish

Beyerskloof Cape Blend 2006 (Pinotage 41%, Shiraz 41%, Cabernet Sauvignon 9%,Merlot 9%) WO Stellenbosch, 14.47%abv. This is a barrel selection from wine aged 18 months in new French oak. 3318 bottles were made, of which 66 boxes of 6 are in the auction.

This is more approachable, with bright sweet black fruits. It feels light bodied and a bit dusty, and sharp on the finish.

I was disappointed with the finish of both wines which seemed overly acidic. I’m pushed to say which I prefer: for immediate drinking I’d choose the Beyerskloof but think both are made for the long haul when that acidity will have subdued.


Beyerskloof Pinotage 2006
WO Stellenbosch 14.74%abv.


Beyers Truter says that these wines came from pre-selected blocks, aged for 18 months in two-thirds new French oak barrels, and then barrel selected for CWG.

Soft and gentle with ripe dusty plum and blackberry fruit flavours, layers of complex fruits leading down to a framework of structured tannins and balanced fruit acids. Perfect.

The 2006 vintage has been, in my opinion, Beyerskloofs best. The basic white label Pinotage is a great everyday wine - and marvellous with a take away from the Indian restaurant, the Tesoc's own label Reserve is excellent and the black label Reserve is superb. Two more 2006, another Reserve bottling and one named Diesel (in remembrance of a sadly missed dog) both won in last months Top 10.

And for the future the 2007 white label is now in my local shops and tastes great also.

Vintage Videos

At this time of year in the Cape winelands you cannot help notice it is vintage time.

Slow tractors haul hoppers laden with grapes along the side of roads, bright colours dot green hillside vineyards showing where teams of pickers are working. The air around wineries is heavy with the smell of fermenting grapes and winemakers carry a glazed look from sleepless nights and their clothes are stained purple with juice splashes.

It is a wonderful time, and I am glad to be here.

For those that cannot, Beyerskloof are putting videos of this years harvest on their website here - http://www.beyerskloof.co.za/story.php?mid=101&pid=60 , and so are Warwick Estate here
http://www.warwickwine.com/framework/VidGal.asp

Warwick's first shows their famous old bush vine Pinotage being checked for ripeness by viticulturist Ronald Spies.

Beyerskloof 1995 & Synergy 2001

There’s a new chef at Beyerskloof Winery’s Red Leaf restaurant, and an extended menu with a good crown of lamb and huge chicken salad. But the Pinotage Burger is still a fixture, which is what I had been waiting for 12 months to eat one.

There is a front page story in a local newspaper here in the Cape complaining about the high mark-up on wines sold in winery restaurants. But wine in at Beyerskloof’s restaurant is priced the same as in the cellar shop.

This time last year I was drinking the just released 2006 standard ‘white label’ Pinotage, a wine I went on to buy several cases of at home. So I was keen to see if the 2007 vintage topped that, however it is not yet available.

So instead we had two wines from Beyerskloof’s library wine list. The first ‘white-label’ Pinotage from 1995 and the first Synergy Cape Blend from 2001. These are both priced at R225 (about £17/$32). And you know they have been stored in absolutely perfect conditions in the cool cellar underneath the restaurant.

Both wines were kept chilled in ice-buckets, essential in the 30 degree heat of a South Africa lunch time when you’re sitting outside on the veranda overlooking vineyards.

The 13 year old Beyerskloof Pinotage was a revelation. Pale bricking red, light bodied with lots of sediment staining the sides of the bottle. It tastes like an aged Bordeaux but with a bit more fruit. It was light, (12.5% alcohol), and elegant, definitely showing signs of age, a fascinating drink.

The 2001 Synergy is a blend of Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This seemed a mere youngster alongside the 1995 Pinotage, and fruit was to the forefront. But ageing had smoothed out some of its ebullience, and softened tannins to make an extraordinarily classical European style wine.

They didn’t produce much of these old wines, and probably the only opportunity you’ll have to aquire them is at the winery, so don’t shake them up and boil them in the back of your car, but drink them there in the restaurant. It won’t cost you any more.

And while you are doing so, check out the wine glasses. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, the stems actually are bent, tipping the brim of the glass towards you. “It’s a feature,” says Beyers with a grin, “it makes it easier to drink from.”

South Africa's Greatest Pinotage?

This advert for Beyerskloof Pinotage apeared in the UK national newspaper The Guardian yesterday.

I cannot ever remember seeing a Pinotage being advertised this way before. But the advert wording raises a number of interesting questions:

-- If this is the greatest Pinotage, where does that leave Beyerskloof's black labelled barrel-aged Reserve bottling? (although to be fair that is not available in the UK)
-- The bottle pictured is the 2006 vintage with a screw-cap. The screwcapped bottles are available only in Tesco's; other supermarkets and high street chains have cork closures. So where does that leave the 'Beyers Truter' branded Pinotage stocked by Tesco at £2 more a bottle ?
-- Just South Africa, Beyers? Not the worlds greatest????

"You tell us" the advert invites, pointing to a revamped Beyerskloof website homepage.

You can vote

YES without question

NO, definitely not

or click on TELL ME MORE

But I don't think the voting buttons work or that there is any coding behind them because nothing happens. There is nothing to stop you clicking multiple times, no scores are shown, and if you click on 'Tell me More', you are shown the following blank page:-

Maybe it is deliberate and they're trying to suggest that "there's no more to say", but the Beyerskloof website has a long, sorry history of links not working and pages missing: it is a mystery why this major winery still can't get the basics of its web-site right.

**UPDATE** As of close of business 30 October the buttons all now work, and voting is 77% that Beyerskloof Pinotage is SA's greatest.**

Beyers told me some months ago that he intended blogging on the site, and now you can click on a 'Talk to Us' button to send your comments to 'Beyers Blogosphere' on a blog there. As of Sunday morning, the only entries are promotional puffs from someone calling themselves 'RedLeaf' .

So pile in and take part...

Wine Blogging Wednesday - Rijk's 2001 & Beyerskloof 2006

Wine Blogging Wednesday is a web institution in which people around the world blog on a theme. For the 37th WBW on 12 September, which is hosted by Dr Vino, the subject is “go native” with an indigenous grape variety.

Pinotage -- pronounced 'pinno-targe' -- is the local red variety of South Africa, having been developed there eighty years ago. It is a variety used to make wines in all styles, including sparkling, pink and fortified. But the best expression of the variety is in serious red wines. Since Pinotage is a fairly recent variety, and because there is no old world model to measure it against, wine makers have been interpreting the variety in several styles.

My take is that Pinotage’s taste profile should be found within the oenological region bounded by the southern Rhone, northern Italian red and Californian Zinfandel. There should be the rich spicinessof Zin and warm depth of Syrah with a twist of the gamey kick of Italian reds. Plus, a lush sweet mouthfeel that is uniquely Pinotage.

For WBW I am tasting two Pinotages. First is a mature wine from the 2001 vintage. This vintage is sold out now at the winery but you may still find it in a specialist shop. The second you should be able to find inexpensively almost anywhere.

Rijk's Pinotage 2001

The nose is closed, not offering much at all, and it feels quite firm on the front palate. But first impressions are deceptive because this wine soon opens in the glass to offer yummy blackberry fruit with a pleasing sweet uplift on the finish. There’s some acidity also, and integrated oak (40% new French oak barrels) is working its creamy magic behind the scenes. It has 14.5% abv but feels light and refreshing, making it an ideal food wine.

Rijk’s – pronounced ‘rakes’ – was created by the Dorrington family in the Tulbagh valley and named in honour of Rijk Tulbagh, governor of the Cape from 1751 to 1771, who gave his name to the town and valley. Rijk’s wines achieved almost instant success from their first bottling in 2000. Their very first Pinotage won Top 10 in 2001 and this Pinotage, from the 2001 vintage was a Top 10 winner in 2004.

Although it’s a bit of a drive from Cape Town, I like to visit Rijk’s to enjoy lunch in their open air restaurant shaded under vine leaves and overlooking a lake and vineyards. And, as usual in the Cape, I have a glass or two of cold Chenin Blanc with my food. Rijk’s make stunning Chenins which are not to be missed.

Although vines have been grown in Tulbagh for generations, the land bought by Neville Dorrington had never previously been cultivated. The Norringtons started planting vines in 1997 and three years later, when the winery had been built, they produced their first wines and now make about 11,000 cases annually from a variety of cultivars.

Details
Producer: Rijks Private Cellar
Winemaker: Charl du Plessis
Variety: 100% Pinotage
Appellation: Coastal
Alcohol:14.5%
Cost: around 18GBP/36 USD




Beyerskloof Pinotage 2006

Beyerskloof winery specialises in Pinotage - the red leaf label is the world's largest selling Pinotage brand - which is no surprise as its winemaking owner, Beyers Truter, championed the variety and is known as the Pinotage King.

Although made in huge quantities -- 1.5 million bottles of the 2006 were produced -- quality is maintained and all the grapes are grown only in the premium Stellenbosch region of South Africa.

I chilled this wine by putting it in the fridge for half an hour before opening -- which is how they serve it at Beyerskloof. On opening there is an strong fruity bouquet as if the wine can't wait to get into the glass. Well, let's pour it. It has a deep black core with a bright purple red rim, and a powerful fruity taste. This is a gutsy wine -- I often have it to accompany spicy Indian food with which it matches well.


There's black fruits, cherry and plums, some blackcurrant leaf and a lick of leather on the back palate. Somewhere I'm also getting black olive tapenade. This wine is so yummy I keep drinking for the sheer pleasure rather than analyzing. No matter, lets pour another glass. What do you mean 'the bottle is empty'?

Owner winemaker Beyers Truter is a man with boundless energy. Now a young 50 year old, he was a rugby-player in his youth before being appointed winemaker at Kanonkop Estate where he championed and elevated the Pinotage variety, along the way being named International Winemaker of the year at the 1991 Wine & Spirit Competition held in London. He is the only winemaker ever to twice receive the Pichon Longueville Comtesse de la Lalande trophy for the best blended red wine at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. That was in 1994 and 1999.

He founded his own Beyerskloof winery in 1998 on a property owned until 1895 by five generations of ancestors and so he became the sixth generation to farm this particular land.

Beyers Truter is active in the Church and in politics (he has stood for the ANC and founded a farmers political party) and his latest venture is the ‘Faith Fund’ charity focusing on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. This year at Beyerskloof he extended the cellars and opened the instantly popular ‘Red Leaf’ restaurant featuring dishes cooked in and with Pinotage -- my favourite being the Pinotage Burger.




Details
Producer: Beyerskloof
Winemaker: Beyers Truter
Variety: 100% Pinotage
Appellation: Stellenbosch
Alcohol:14%
Cost: 5 GBP/10 USD/35ZAR

Beyerskloof 1998 & 2003 Impress

On Robert Parker's forum Guy Des Rosiers is impressed by a 1998 Beyerskloof.

1998 Beyerskloof Pinotage. Fully mature, delicate and complex, but with plenty of fruit left, this was a real gem. To give you an idea of the quality of this wine, we also drank a bottle of 2004 Termes that evening. The Beyerskloof was far and away WOTN* (the Termes, of course, was very tannic and young, but the quality was unmistakable. Yet the Beyerskloof still stood out). When I looked up this producer and realized that the current release of this wine costs about $10, I was shocked.

Guy told me "I just wish I had taken a more detailed note on the 98 Beyerskloof. It was truly an impressive bottle of Pinotage."

While over on Robin Garr's Wine Lovers Page forum Jay Labrador is enjoying the 2003 vintage

2003 Beyerskloof Pinotage. Quite dark, medium-bodied, juicy. Sweet fruit. Tobacco, leather, roasting meat and a distinct rubbery character. Soft tannins, decent finish. Not as good as Kanonkop but very good for me. Went nicely with risotto and Italian sausages. It may seem a bit odd but this went really well with olives stuffed with pimentos which really brought out the sweetness and fruit in the wine.

(* WOTN= wine of the night

Thanks to both Guy Des Rosiers & Jay Labrador for permission to reproduce their tasting notes.

Pinotage Impresses Press

Neil Pendock reports on a press trip to Pinotage Country organised last week by Pinotage Association sponsors ABSA bank.

Last week’s press tour ended at Meerendal, home to one of the oldest Pinotage vineyards in the Cape, the aptly named Heritage Block, with its tiny berry grapes, tiny yields and a uniquely perfumed flavour profile. Wines made from this block confirm the point made by Meerendal GM Guy Kedian that "there are as many styles of Pinotage as there are producers".

From the surprisingly Bordeaux-style Simonsig Frans Malan ’97 Cape blend to the surprisingly juvenile unwooded Simonsig ’95 to the 1.12 million bottles of Truter’s fruit driven Beyerskloof Pinotage ‘06, great value at R33.50 a bottle. From the seamlessly elegant Allée Bleue ’95 made from tiny high altitude bush vine grapes from the Piekenierskloof to the Devon Valley fruit bombs Zaine Pritchard sells to Russia and the exciting Simonsig MCC ’06 made from Pinotage and Pinot Meunier – a step up from two previous vintages snapped up by the UK Waitrose supermarket chain.

From Truter’s violet-infused Cape/Portugal blend of Touriga Naçional and Pinotage to Kaapzicht’s effortlessly elegant Steytler Vision Cape Blend presented by the effortlessly elegant Yngvild Steytler and the Pinotages De Wet Viljoen makes at Neethlingshof which confirm just how seriously Cape Legends takes sometimes pilloried Pinotage.

My standout wine of the pilgrimage was a 1991 Kanonkop Pinotage, remarkably fresh and free of blemishes for a 16 year old teenager. Primary fruit flavours were still evident and had been complimented by the evolution of mushroom and forest floor flavours from the Pinot Noir parent of the grape. Along with the still vibrant 1982 Meerendal, it confirms the remarkable longevity of Perold’s grape.

A vertical tasting of Kanonkop vintages from the early ‘90s side-by-side those of a decade later was revealing: the ‘90s wines all had 10% less alcohol for wines made from grapes harvested from the same vineyard at approximately the same harvest date. Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar offered several explanations – from Global Warming to cleaning-up the vineyard for leaf-roll virus. As he commented "the worse a vineyard looks, the better the wine you can make from the grapes – totally contrary to what we were taught at University". Leaf-roll virus inhibits sugar accumulation and increases hang-time – leading Beeslaar to comment, "I don’t believe leaf-roll virus is 100% negative" – a point often made by Chardonnay champion Mike Dobrovic with his Mulderbosh barrel fermented wines made from grapes grown on virus-infected vines.

On the subject of alcohol levels, Beeslaar notes that Pinotage fermented in traditional open cement tanks (like those from Jacobsdal, Kanonkop and Allée Bleue) also can expect up to 1% lower alcohols as compared to those fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Meerendal's Guy Kedian summed up "to those who say that Pinotage is not the varietal we should pin our flag to, I totally disagree. We should ignore the pretentious folk trying to turn it into something it isn’t, for their own benefit. At the end of the day, it’s only wine – not some mystical thing".

Source -- www.wine.co.za. Reposted with thanks.

Pinotage Jam and Scones

Scones are a Sunday treat here at Pinotage Towers. And what better topping than Pinotage jam?

I find it strange that grape jam is not more common. I am not aware of any being available in the UK. In South Africa you can buy Hanepoot jam, made from those large golden intensely sweet Muscat grapes used for making dessert wines.

Ripe Pinotage grapes are also quite sweet, and this jam comes from Beyerskloof Winery. Owner Beyers Truter has been incorporating Pinotage in many foods, sausages, ice-cream, yoghurts, meat sauces etc. See Red Leaf and Green Pinotage.

So, what is it like? On opening it has a lumpy texture from the berries and a dark, browny black colour which doesn't look too appetising. The nose is not sweet like other jams -- ahh I get it! Some wines we call 'jammy', and this jam is definitely 'winey'.

Spread on the opened scone -- broken open where the side of the rising scone has fractured -- take a quick photo (see picture right) and take a bite. Umm, tastes good. There is a winery grapiness, it is not overly sweet. Definitely an adult jam, and I am thinking that it maybe good as an accompanient to savoury dishes, such as bobotie or with turkey instead of red-currant sauce.

Unfortunately Pinotage jam is currently available only from the winery, but scones are easy and quick to make.

My scone recipe takes about 20 minutes to make and 20-25 minutes to cook

Ingredients

225g/8oz self raising flour
Pinch of salt
55g/2oz butter
Handful of sultanas
150ml/5fl oz milk



Method
1. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter to get a bread crumb-like texture.
3. Sprinkle in the sultanas and stir them through, there should be plenty so add more if you want as they are the only sweetening* in the scones.
4. Mix in milk to get a soft dough
5. Turn on to a floured board and knead for a few minutes
6. Gently roll out to 2.5cm/1in thick – making them too thin is the biggest cause of disappointment.
7. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a baking sheet. Knead remaining dough, roll out and stamp out more scones till all used. Cutting the edges helps the dough rise.
8. . Bake for 20-25 minutes until well risen and top is firm.
9. Place on a wire rack and serve with butter and good jam and cream to taste.

Eat while hot. They also freeze well; defrost before use and warm

*With the sultanas and sweet jam topping I think it is totally unnecessary to also add sugar to the scone

(Note: Scone is pronounced skoan (to rhyme with loan) or skon (to rhyme with ‘on’ – in Pinotage Towers those from the north say skon and those from the south say skoan. Thus both are correct.)

Frozen Wine

I very rarely have the problem of left-over-wine. But I am frequently asked by others what to do with wine left in the bottle. My usual answer is to stick the cork back in the bottle and keep the bottle upright in the fridge door. It’ll be OK for a day or so, and for some red wines maybe longer.

However I took the opportunity this trip to the Cape to experiment with freezing wine. I was ordering a bottle of wine at lunch, consuming a glass or so, and taking the bottle with me. But by dinner time I frequently had another ‘must open’ bottle.

So into the freezer compartment of the fridge went some lunchtime bottles. A couple of weeks later I moved them to the fridge door in the morning to thaw during the day, and I opened them in the evening to taste. (photo left - the bottle is upright, the wine is frozen)

First was a white wine, Simonsig 2006 Verdelho*. When I opened its spiffy screwcap the wine went cloudy. I left it for a while to clear. The photo (below right) clearly shows the white powdery deposits of tartaric crystals, brought out of solution by the cold.


Many mass market wineries practise ‘cold stabilisation’ where they chill wines to precipitate these crystals so that they will not appear after sale as many casual wine drinkers mistake them for glass fragments and return the wine to the shop. However this chilling also removes something of the flavour, and is frequently not done on better wines.

And so it proved here. The wine was quite acceptable and drinkable, but it wasn’t quite as crisp, racy and exciting as I remembered from when I first opened it.

The Beyerskloof Pinotage 2006 was also most drinkable, and showed little change, maybe just slightly dulled.

But freezing hadn’t destroyed the wines. Now you might argue that these were quite gutsy wines, especially the Pinotage with lots of upfront flavours. Would a delicate wine, such as a mature Mouton-Rothschild survive such treatment? All I can say is that I am willing to do the experiment if someone will supply the wine.

So if you have opened wines you want to keep – try freezing them.


*Simonsig Verdelho 2006 is an Estate wine especially produced for the SA Pick'n'Pay supermarket chain. Verdelho is a Portuguese variety used to make Madeira and Vinho Verde, and has been recently been achieving success in Australia. Simonsig's Verdelho vines were planted by the late Frans Malan and I guess the juice from these grapes usually go into Simonsig's blends, and well done to the Pick'n'Pay winebuyer for winkling it out. I'd dearly love to know what other rare varieties are planted in Simonsig's vineyards ....

"Sensational South Africa" - Tesco

"It's a country where the magnificent scenery is matched by terrific wines", states Tesco in its March Wine Club Magazine.
And which wine is dominating the cover but Beyers Truter's Pinotage. It has a cracking classy label that would grace any table. It's in Tesco's 'Finest' range, and -- since they already stock Beyerskloof standard Pinotage -- I guess this is a relabelled Beyerskloof Reserve. It is priced at £7.99, two pounds more than the standard Beyerskloof.

Graham Nash writes in the magazine "Some would say that a country that first planted vines in the 1650s, and whose wines were favourites of Napoleon and Jane Austen, hardly qualifies as ‘New World’. However, it’s only in the post-apartheid era that South Africa has again begun to make an impression on our palates. As in sports such as rugby and cricket, it’s taken a while to make an impact, but the wines since then have improved beyond recognition.

"Many of the grapes grown are familiar. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay were the first to become popular, but the fashionable grapes at the moment are Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc. The style of both – as with many South African wines – sits at a very attractive halfway house between the exuberant fruitiness of the New World and the elegance of the Old. There is also some very good Pinot Noir being made, especially in the country’s cooler areas. But the country does have two points of difference, in the shape of Pinotage and Chenin Blanc.

"Pinotage produces wines with lively flavours of wild berry fruit, occasionally spiced up with hints of banana and toasted marshmallows. You’ll find full and light-bodied reds, and surprisingly good rosés, ranging from good value wines to some that are amongst the finest in the country.

W"hatever food you’re planning, you won’t have trouble finding a South African wine to match it. The local cuisine sees the influence of several cultures – European, Indian, African and Indonesian – combined to extremely tasty effect, and the refined yet flavourful wines are excellent accompaniments. And of course there’s the braai, South Africa’s super-sized version of a barbecue. Forget formal dining. Simply charge your glass with Pinotage, gaze up at the starlit sky and enjoy."

I want that classy black label Beyers Truter Pinotage, but sadly it hasn't yet appeared in my local Tesco stores.