Image: Shutterstock credits Magdalena Paluchowska

Young winemakers are driving the potential of Pinotage and the wine industry in general, with a focus on craftmanship. Where its origin was humble, has Pinotage today been elevated to an exceptional expression, one that entices, pairs well with food and ages like fine wine. The Pinotage Association had a great deal in uplevelling Pinotage again in the world of wine. 

It's Origin

South Africa is the native home for Pinotage, where it was created in 1925 by Abraham Perold (scientist). It is the third most planted variety of South Africa after Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Worldwide it has slightly over 7.21% of all plantings 6,570 ha under vine. 

Family Ties

Pinotage is an introspective crossing of the Vitis vinifera vines Pinot Noir x Cinsaut.

Climate and Soils

Pinotage is suited to a warm continental climate. It has been said that Pinotage is not only created in the cellar alone, but that it is the terroir where it grows that plays a huge and vital role in the resulting and interesting wine. The best examples cuvees of Pinotage come from
Paarl and Stellenbosch.

Pinotage needs to be taken care of in respect of where it grows. Due to extensive research
of the past 3 decades, they know by better vineyard practices where to plant Pinotage to avoid as much water stress as possible. So, the vine is planted on soils with the highest water retention properties available like Table Mountain sandstone, or soils derived from shale. 

• South Africa - 99%
• New Zealand – 0.29%
• USA – 0.24%
• Israel – 0.14%
• Brazil - 0.07%
• Canada - 0.05%
• Australia - 0.04%
• Other Countries – 0.04% Like, Germany,  Zimbabwe, Switzerland

Vine Manual: How does Pinotage Grow

Pinotage has a natural adaptability to its climate, nevertheless it is quite fussy about its terroir and style of winemaking. It likes the quite likes the sun, but too much sun and heat at the end of the growing season, can cause the grapes to create an unpleasant acetone aroma, that of burnt rubber.

• Early-mid season budding
• Early-mid season ripening
• Moderate yields
• Drought sensitive
• Moderately susceptible to powdery and downy mildew
• Susceptible to Botrytis cinerea
• Moderately to ideal vigorous
• Small berries with thick skins
• Often bush-vine trained

It’s all in the Name Baby.

In South Africa it is also known by the name ‘Hermitage’, which was actually the synonym for Cinsaut back in the day. 

Tickle Your Taste Buds

There are two distinct styles to Pinotage, the modern, fruit forward style and the “old style” maybe familiar to you with those rubbery notes. It had a poor reputation for quality because of this. This variety reaches high sugar levels, resulting in potentially high alcoholic wines with a deep colour extraction. Because of this, the grapes require only a short time on the skins after the end of fermentation to produce a deep colour, 3 days for lighter styles and 5 days for fuller bodied styles Pinotage. 

Pinotage' Taste Profile

Most Pinotage have a deep purple red colour, medium acidity levels, medium-high tannin structure, high alcohol, full bodied, medium intensity flavours.

Aromas and Flavours

Aromas like red currant, red plum, leather, blackberry, raspberry, red pepper, licorice, sweet tobacco, smoke, rooibos, tar, bacon.

Did you Know?

• That the “burnt rubber” aromas are a direct result from wine making practices, if you ferment the grapes on too warm fermentation temperatures, you can encourage the acetone-like flavours of burnt rubber to develop this way. Luckily this changed a lot in modern winemaking practices nowadays, with restricted skin contact and limited maceration times. 
• Pinotage produces deeply coloured wines, with high tannins, nothing like its parents who have a low colour and tannin intensity. 
• It likes to be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, to make high quality blends in South-Africa.
• Pinotage comes in a lot of different styles, early drinking red wines, rosé and barrel aged age worthy wines. Even as port-like styled fortified wines. 

History Fact

• Abraham Perold wanted to create a grape variety like Pinot Noir in its flavour profile but had to withstand the harsher drier conditions of South Africa. So, he crossed it with Cinsault that can withstand the heat and drier conditions quite good and created Pinotage this way. 
• Pinotage was almost extinct as a variety, because there were only four seedlings produced of this species initially and nearly thrown away, as it wasn’t for a professor who rescued the vines. 

Do you think Pinotage lives up to the expectations of nowadays wine drinkers? To my opinion, because it can show you such diversity, there is something for everyone. Especially those who are seeking authenticity from a growing region, a particular style, an expression of terroir it is there. There are wines that can be drunk right now or even as a rosé, but there are also wines
made to stay in the bottle for quite some time to show themselves in a few years or much longer to show their expression with you ten years later. Go ahead and indulge yourself with a good glass of Pinotage. 

Resources

Pinotage Association – Official website - Accessed on March 13, 2024

Wine Searcher, “Pinotage Wine” - Accessed on March 13, 2024