Pinotage: South Africa's Home-Grown Grape
- By Dominic Donaldson
- Published 03/5/2010
- Wine and Spirits
- Unrated
Pinotage is truly South Africa's signature grape, having being bred there in 1925 by Stellenbosch University Professor A.I. Perold who crossed Pinot Noir and Cinsault grape varieties.
Flavours
Flavours vary with this wine, with different tasters noting different flavours. A good Pinotage will offer fruitiness and good depth of flavour, with a velvety texture. You may notice earthy flavours, bramble fruit notes and even banana-like flavours.
The wine keeps well and tends to have good levels of alcohol which gives depth and structure.
New World
Pinotage as a wine is truly New World, being born in the New World, and it does not try to emulate any of the Old World wines, which may be the reason that some experts dislike it. Despite the fact that the grape is born from a cross between a Rhone and a Burgundy grape, the flavours in this wine do not reflect any of the flavours in French wines.
Other experts have made various criticisms of Pinotage including the fact that despite relatively easy cultivation potential, the grapes have a tendency to develop isoamyl acetate during the winemaking process which gives it a sweet pu
ngency reminiscent of paint; not exactly the most desirable aroma in a wine.
And so the wine tends to come and go out of fashion, as is common with many commodities today. Providing you do your research, choosing at least a medium-priced Pinotage to give dinner guests with their meal should pose no problems, and providing your guests are not wine buffs themselves you should find that the wine slips down just fine.
Food pairing
Again, food pairing with wine can be very subjective, and you should always go with what you enjoy rather than sticking to any particular rules.
As a general guide, the medium-bodied Pinotages go rather well with some lovely fresh game, or a hearty bean soup. Fish also pairs well, and some experts say it goes well with sashimi and sushi.
Bobotie, the national dish of South Africa which is a mix of curried meat and fruit with an egg custard on top, pairs well with Pinotage, as does curry and ratatouille.
The fuller-bodied Pinotages are best paired with rich foods that stand up to it well, including spare ribs with barbeque sauce, venison, osso buco and oxtail.
For desert, try a delicious rich desert cake or a yummy chocolate souffle, both of which are complemented very well by the wine.
Flavours
Flavours vary with this wine, with different tasters noting different flavours. A good Pinotage will offer fruitiness and good depth of flavour, with a velvety texture. You may notice earthy flavours, bramble fruit notes and even banana-like flavours.
The wine keeps well and tends to have good levels of alcohol which gives depth and structure.
New World
Pinotage as a wine is truly New World, being born in the New World, and it does not try to emulate any of the Old World wines, which may be the reason that some experts dislike it. Despite the fact that the grape is born from a cross between a Rhone and a Burgundy grape, the flavours in this wine do not reflect any of the flavours in French wines.
Other experts have made various criticisms of Pinotage including the fact that despite relatively easy cultivation potential, the grapes have a tendency to develop isoamyl acetate during the winemaking process which gives it a sweet pu
And so the wine tends to come and go out of fashion, as is common with many commodities today. Providing you do your research, choosing at least a medium-priced Pinotage to give dinner guests with their meal should pose no problems, and providing your guests are not wine buffs themselves you should find that the wine slips down just fine.
Food pairing
Again, food pairing with wine can be very subjective, and you should always go with what you enjoy rather than sticking to any particular rules.
As a general guide, the medium-bodied Pinotages go rather well with some lovely fresh game, or a hearty bean soup. Fish also pairs well, and some experts say it goes well with sashimi and sushi.
Bobotie, the national dish of South Africa which is a mix of curried meat and fruit with an egg custard on top, pairs well with Pinotage, as does curry and ratatouille.
The fuller-bodied Pinotages are best paired with rich foods that stand up to it well, including spare ribs with barbeque sauce, venison, osso buco and oxtail.
For desert, try a delicious rich desert cake or a yummy chocolate souffle, both of which are complemented very well by the wine.
Dominic Donaldson
Dominic Donaldson is a wine expert. Find out more about Pinotage and the great new experiences that await!
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