Pinotage is the result of a cross between the Pinot Noir and Cinsault varieties. It was created in South Africa in 1925 by Professor A.I Peroldt at Stellenbosch University and is locally called Hermitage.
It was hoped, by crossing these two that the new variety would gain the good points of both parents, but initial tastings did not sufficiently impress.
This red-wine grape was bred in 1925, but Pinotage was largely ignored until 1961. It wasn't until a 1959 vintage Pinotage won the Grand Championship at the Cape Young Wine Show, South Africa's long-running wine competition, that it became popular.
Pinotage is red wine that is mostly harvested from bush vines, some of which are over 25 years old. It gains its colour by the juice of the grapes being fermented along with the skins. The longer the contact, the deeper the colour and the more flavours and chemicals are extracted. The wines show more intense colour than its parents.
Pinotage has a good depth of flavour and is a unique individual fruity refreshing wine. It is a dinner wine, with good levels of alcohol giving depth, structure and keeping ability. The best examples of Pinotage wines are medium-bodied and subtly flavored better than most Cinsaut wines, but not as good as Pinot Noir.
There is no old-world style for winemakers to copy, so opening a bottle from a new winery is very much an adventure. The words "bush-vine" on a South African label indicate that the vines are old.
Pinotage is a uniquely South African grape variety. There are now plantings in other countries like California, Canada, South of France and New Zealand, but the origin of Pinotage is South African and it has achieved international success.
The list of top Pinotage growing estates in South Africa includes Kanonkop, Simonsig , Warwick, Clos Malverne, Aventuur, L'Avenir, Uiterwyk and Middlevlei.
Currently, the Pinotage Association of South Africa promotes the cultivar both locally and internationally as a grape varietal which provides wines of superior quality.
Pinotage is the trump card of the South African wine industry. This is the philosophy that underlies the existence of the Pinotage Association.
