PINOTAGE

'Pinotage' is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was bred there in 1925, and typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavours, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit, but has been criticised for sometimes smelling of acetone. Pinotage is often blended, and also made into fortified wine and even red sparkling wine.^[1]

Contents

Origin

History

Distribution and Wines

New Zealand

South Africa

USA

Vine and Viticulture

Synonyms

See also

External links

References

Origin

Pinotage is a grape variety that was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. Perold was attempting to combine the best qualities of the robust Cinsault with Pinot Noir, a grape that makes great wine but can be difficult to grow. Cinsault is known as Hermitage in South Africa, hence the portmanteau name of Pinotage.
Pinotage is a viticultural cross, not a hybrid. In plant breeding, a cross is a cultivar which is the result of crossing two or more cultivars within the same species, while a hybrid is a cultivar bred from members of different species. Both of Pinotage's ancestors are ''Vitis vinifera''.

History

Pinotage only survived its early years by a series of lucky accidents. Perold planted the four seeds from his cross in the garden of his official residence at Welgevallen Experimental Farm and then seems to have forgotten about them. In 1927 he left the university for a job with KWV and the garden became overgrown. The university sent in a team to tidy it up, just as Charlie Niehaus happened to pass by. He was a young lecturer who knew about the seedlings, and rescued them from the clean-up team.^[2]
The young plants were moved to Elsenburg Agricultural College under Perold's successor, CJ Theron. In 1935 Theron grafted them onto newly established Richter 99 and Richter 57 rootstock at Welgevallen. This was another piece of luck, as the other rootstocks there were so badly infected with viruses that they had to be destroyed.
Meanwhile Perold continued to visit his former colleagues. Theron showed him the newly grafted vines, and the one that was doing best was selected for propagation and was christened Pinotage. The first wine was made in 1941 at Elsenburg, with the first commercial plantings at Myrtle Grove near Sir Lowry's Pass.
The first recognition came when a Bellevue wine made from Pinotage became the champion wine at the Cape Wine Show of 1959. This wine would become the first wine to mention Pinotage on its label in 1961, when Stellenbosch Farmer's Winery (SFW) marketed it under their Lanzerac brand.^[3] This early success, and its easy viticulture, prompted a wave of planting during the 1960s. A group of British Masters of Wine visited in 1976, and were not impressed by Pinotage, calling the nose 'hot and horrible' and comparing the taste to "rusty nails". This was probably more of a comment on winemaking during the apartheid years rather than the grape, but it led to many established vineyards being ripped up as interest slumped.
However a few winemakers kept the faith, notably Beyers Truter (now of Beyerskloof), who won the Diner's Club Winemaker of the Year in 1987 with his Kanonkop Pinotage.^[4] This success prompted renewed interest in the grape, and once sanctions were relaxed some was even planted overseas.
Standards of winemaking in South Africa have certainly improved since the days of "rusty nails", but there remains a faction who believe that Pinotage has no place in a vineyard - André van Rensburg of Vergelegen famously claimed that "Pinotage is as untenable as child rape".^[5]

Distribution and Wines

Aside from the countries listed below, Pinotage is also grown in Brazil, Canada, Israel and Zimbabwe.

New Zealand

There are 94 acres of Pinotage in New Zealand.

South Africa

Almost all Pinotage is to be found in South Africa, where it makes up just 6.7% of the vineyard area but is considered a symbol of the country's distinctive winemaking traditions. It is a required component (30-70%) in "Cape blends".
In South Africa it is made into the full range of styles, from easy-drinking quaffing wine and rosé to barrel-aged wine intended for cellaring. It is also made into a fortified 'port' style, and even a red sparkling wine.

USA

A little Pinotage is grown in both California and Virginia and is mostly blended.

Vine and Viticulture

The vines are vigorous like their parent Cinsaut and easy to grow, ripening early with high sugar levels.

Synonyms

Perold's Hermitage x Pinot. The alternative name 'Herminoir' was considered.

See also

★ South African wine

External links

★ www.pinotage.org The Pinotage Club

★ www.pinotage.co.za The Pinotage Association

★ Pinotage Aroma Wheel

References