Upcoming Pinotage Tastings

 Here's a list of upcoming Pinotage tastings you may want to put in your diary

• 31Oct2016 7pm - An evening of Pinotage: SA’s Signature Red Grape - Vivat Bacchus, London, UK
• 5 Nov2016 11am - Peter May - South Africa Cape Blends - Truly Expressive - American Wine Society National Conference, Costa Mesa, California
• 20 Nov 2016 - Beyers Truter - Pinotage Workshop - Cite du Vin, Bordeaux, France
•  5 Apr 2017 6.30pm - Peter May - Top Pinotage in the City, Central London Wine Society, London, UK
•  2 Jun 2017 7pm - Peter May - Pinotage: Soul of South Africa - North Ealing Wine Tasting Society (NEWTS), London, UK
• 24 Oct 2017 - Peter May - Pinotage - South African Wine Society - Toronto, Canada. 

Today is International Pinotage Day!

Which ones are you drinking?

Southern Right Pinotage is 'a game changer'

 
Sommelier and columnist Holly Howell, writing in New York’s Rochester Democrat and Chronicle,  recommends Kanonkop Kadette Cape Blend 2014 and Southern Right Pinotage 2015 in the second of two articles* marking International Pinotage Day.

Holly says the Kadette

has the texture and body of a good Bordeaux.  But the flavors are definitely Pinotage-driven — ripe berries, roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate and smoke.

And the Southern Right’s nose

is reminiscent of a fine red Burgundy, with elegant aromas of black raspberry, autumn woods and baking spice.  But once you take a sip, you are welcomed to the New World with flavors of cassis, dark plum and cinnamon coffee. This wine is a game changer, and a must try for any Pinotage doubters out there.

*
Pinotage making 21st century transformation
Pinotage can be acquired taste



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WoTM - KWV Abraham Perold Tributum 2010

KWV’s first Cape Blend, Abraham Perold Tributum 2010,  is my Wine of the Month for September 2016. Tributum is a blend of Pinotage (36%), Cabernet Sauvignon (27%), Shiraz (22%) plus 5% each of Tannat, Malbec and Petit Verdot. 

Grapes were sourced from Stellenbosch and Paarl, hence the ‘W O Coastal’ appellation. The wine was aged for 16 months in 90% French and 10% American oak barrels, 70% of which were new.

This wine was a revelation, subtle and sophisticated with intense depth of flavour that just keeps going on and on. Wood offers structure without imposing on rich dark berry flavours with an underlying seam of ground pepper and savoury notes. Deliciously scrumptious.

An excellent tribute to A I Perold, creator of Pinotage.

World First Pinotage Cask Whisky

The world’s first Pinotage Cask finished whisky will be released in October to coincide with  World Pinotage Day,  

Distiller Andy Watts  says it’s “truly the pinnacle of my career.”

The Three Ships 15 Year Old Pinotage Cask Finish is a blend of 15 year old malt and grain whiskies distilled and matured separately at the James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington, Western Cape. Both the malt and grain whiskies spent the final years of their maturation in unrinsed Pinotage casks. 

It is said to be “Light in style, prominent cherry, plum, tropical fruit and the typical Pinotage earthy notes reveal on the nose. The palate is clean with hints of the banana and pineapple ending with a lingering warm finish.”

Only 4,000 bottles have been made, with 500 being sold by online auction on 5 October with the rest being available to buy from 8 October (World Pinotage Day) from the distillery, duty free shops and selected retaillers. 

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Neethlingshof 'Owl Post' 2014 Pinotage Wins IWSC Trophy

Congratulations to De Wet Viljoen and his team for winning the 2016 International Wine & Spirit Competition Abraham Perold Trophy for Pinotage with Neethlingshof Owl Post Pinotage 2014. 

The Abraham Perold Trophy for Pinotage is sponsored by The Pinotage Association.

The International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) , now in its 47th year, awarded Gold Medals to the following Pinotages/Pinotage Blends

• Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2011    
• Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2013                
• Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Pinotage Reserve 2014 (Outstanding)                           
• Neethlingshof Owl Post Pinotage 2014 (Outstanding & Trophy)                             
• Romond Rebus Cape Cuvée 2011 (Blended Red - Pinotage dominated)

And Silver Outstanding Medals to

• Bellingham The Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage 2014
• Beyerskloof Faith 2011(Blended Red - Pinotage Dominated)                     
• KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2014          
• Painted Wolf The Den Pinotage 2014
• Wildekrans Pinotage Barrel Select Reserve 2014
• Rooiberg Winery Pinotage Reserve 2015

A good showing for Beyerskloof, who won a total of 19 medals.

IWSC say

South African Wine Farms were awarded an astounding 30 Gold medals, and 9 Gold Outstanding. Unusually, of all awarded wines, 24% were Silver Outstanding, 53% Silver and only 18% Bronze. Usually the larger proportion are awarded Bronze medals, highlighting how high the standards are for this set of South African wines.

Highlights include a Gold Outstanding  Diemersfontein Wines  for their Carpe Diem Pinotage Reserve, which judges called ‘elegant and classy’.

Full results are available online at
 https://www.iwsc.net/result/search

Welgemeend Sparkling Pinotage 2016

Welgemeend ‘Sparkling Symphony’ Pinotage 2016

This fun fizz is fluorescent pink and froths invitingly in the glass. It’s a 100% Pinotage, 12.5% abv, sweet with around 30g/L residual sugar and made by the ‘Technique Contemporain’.

Unfortunately the bubbles dispersed almost immediately, and to me a glass without a stream of rising bubbles isn’t a fizz. 

Despite the back label  describing this as a ‘classic bubbly’  Technique Contemporain is Welgemeend’s own name for carbonation.

I think this needed more pressure to retain bubbles, but it has no pretensions other than as a party wine and it looks very pretty.

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