Pinotage - Proudly South African

If you think you know Pinotage, think again. The combination of early harvest and gentle extraction has allowed Pinotage to reveal its elegant side.

Full of maritime freshness and fruity aromas, these wines represent a new dawn – showcasing the character of beautiful single vineyards in South Africa's Winelands.

Proudly South African

“Our proud South African varietal is in a phase of maturity when it comes to expertise,” says Dirk Coetzee, winemaker at L’Avenir in Stellenbosch.

“I believe we know much more than we did in the past. For this reason, Pinotage invites you to view our South African wine regions and all their terroirs through a unique and exciting lens.” This varietal, a true South African original, was created in 1924 at Stellenbosch University through the crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault – improbable bedfellows, to say the least.

With rich, ripe fruits, it suits bold, oaky styles that have come into fashion – but also became a parody of itself. Plagued by a virus that gave it a rubbery smell, the grape nearly earned a bad reputation. However, that is in the past. South African vintners have turned a new page, and a fresh, aromatic Pinotage wave has emerged. Elegance, purity, and freshness are the declared goals.

“Pinotage is quite widespread; it also represents most of the old vines in our industry – much like Chenin Blanc,” says Coetzee. “For this reason, Pinotage expresses the extreme topography of all our wine regions, our beautiful old and diverse soil types, and our maritime influence. You will find all this in the style variations, from lighter, pure, taut, fruit-driven wines to rich, bold expressions – shaped by different locations and philosophies. You can't box the variations into a cliché.”

Sandstone, Slate, and Granite

“At the Cape, there are three main rock types,” explains Dr. Etienne Terblanche, viticulture consultant at Vinpro. “The youngest is sandstone – it forms the cap of Table Mountain, deposited around 300 to 400 million years ago. Beneath the sandstone lies a band of slate, known as Malmesbury slate, actually a fairly soft and malleable medium deposited around 500 to 550 million years ago. Within the slate are granite intrusions, which make up a significant portion of the wine terroir at the Cape, as well as metamorphosed graywackes – the contact point between granite and slate.”

Coetzee adds that granite leads to "rich and structured wines," while "slate gives much fruit intensity with great fruit purity. On sandstone, you get quite tight tannins.”

A New Face of Pinotage

With much fresher Pinotage, free from the heavy makeup of overripeness and new oak, the vineyard character is displayed alongside the natural charm and structure of the fruit itself. Early harvest, whole-bunch fermentation, subtle extraction, and the use of larger oak formats make a significant difference. You can almost smell the sea breeze. Coetzee and Terblanche prove their point with six unusual wines – diverse but elegant – and very different from the Pinotage you may remember. There's depth and aroma but no heaviness. Try it for yourself!

(Translated from Falstaff January 2022)