T
o be reverent at all, simply doesn’t
seem to be the way to engage with
pinotage. I’m reminded of a peaked cap
I found, rather incongruously, on the
mantelpiece of a friend, himself one
of the most knowledgeable people in the world
of sustainability studies. “Fuck Fynbos,” it read,
“Plant Pinotage”. Or, come to think of it, maybe
a kind of guarded reverence is exactly the way to
go about finding the best side of pinotage.
As Tim James, wine writer and Platter taster,
has done, I’ve had my say about using oak
staves in winemaking. Even the likes of Cathy
Marston have become irritated with this (very
legitimate, I think) line of reasoning. The other
day I, somewhat unfairly, I know, remarked to
a friend: “I’m asked to write about five iconic
pinotages, one of which isn’t a pinotage and
another of which isn’t strictly a wine.” My point
perhaps: one cannot say “pinotage” today without
mentioning Diemersfontein. In its way, maybe
even more so than Beyers Truter, the undoubted
doyen of pinotage, it has brought this variety to
the attention of the many. David Sonnenberg’s
Pinotage on Tap and “Coffee Pinotage” have
become icons of the varietal in a very short
time, with the efforts of Brett Rightford spurting
a host of “coffee” offshoots. In a way they have,
almost single-handedly, stemmed the gush of
seriousness this grape seems to attract. This very
simple thing, turning the purple tide, needs to be
acknowledged – and certainly is not to be gibed.
As to the non-pinotage: KWV Perold Tributum. By
Josh Weerdenburg
now, almost everyone knows the tale
vines, forgotten in the overgrown b
an old house at Welgevallen Experim
where Professor Perold used to live
not been spotted, I wouldn’t have b
here. And there’s no telling how d
South African wine landscape would
I can think of quite a few farms tha
even have existed as wine farms. To
famed heritage, KWV created this blen
Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sh
few drops of Malbec, Tannat and Peti
Cape Blend. It immediately garnered
awards, most not &?'?&V??r??R??v??W2??F?R?4????FvR76?6?F????V?W&??B%46R&?V?B6???fR??B?WB?BF?R&?f??VvRF?F0?( 2???#?C&?GF?W2vW&R&?GV6VB?66?7G&VBf?"F?R#S?( ????VVB@?f?"&?GF?R???BF?B?B6?V?G2V??( ?v?B7W'&?6W2&?WBF??2v??R?2?G2f??&Wf?WvW"6?2?F??2?F??R?&?FW2vV?????FVF?W72?b??7B6?WF?g&?6?2fW'?G&?V&??r?F?V&?6?v?V?????FvR???f7B?v?B??W2F??2w&P??22?V6?F??2V?Vv?6R2F?Rf7BF?????r6??B????FvR???r?v?Bv?V?B?6?????FvP????FvR???V?????v?W2v?W&R????????v?V?B?fRF?&R?6???0??BGv?&?GF?W2?????B?????f??v?6???V7FVB&?V?BF?R???V???v??6?7W'f?fVB?V'2??f???FWVR???