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PREMIUM
PINOTAGE
 While
a debate on the pros and cons of pinotage can turn even the
most mild-mannered of wine connoisseurs into bitter combatants,
there is no doubting the strong support that the varietal
has from its converts. Andrew Starke reports that the Absa
Top 10 Pinotage Competition showcase is still going strong
as it celebrates its tenth anniversary.
It perhaps says a great deal
about Absa as a corporate sponsor that the banking giant supports
both Currie Cup rugby and the annual Top 10 Pinotage Competition.
There is something uniquely South African about these two
events and what they reveal about the national character.
At its best, the country's
premier domestic rugby competition showcases exciting new
talent, but it is sometimes derided for producing a product
that relies more on power and passion than style and skill.
By the same token, local and international commentators have
often found the controversial South African cross of pinot
noir and cinsaut grapes to be too bitter or earthy, speculating
that there may never be much of a market for the varietal
outside of South Africa. However, the anti-pinotage brigade
accepts that many of the well-made, modern examples are far
better than some of the brutes produced in the 1970s and 1980s.
Just as the Currie Cup dished
up some excellent rugby over the 2006 season, so a number
of pinotage producers were on top form at this year's Top
10 Pinotage competition, which was finalised in late October
at Kelvin Grove in Cape Town.
Two producers repeated history
this year with both Kanonkop Estate and Clos Malverne amongst
the winners in 2006 after having had winning wines at the
first Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition in 1997. The Kanonkop
Pinotage 2004 (winemaker Abrie Beeslaar) is the seventh wine
from this Stellenbosch estate to be selected as one of the
Top 10, while the Clos Malverne Pinotage Reserve 2003 (winemaker
Isak Smit) is the third Top 10 Pinotage wine from this wine
cellar in Devon Valley.
Another Top 10 Pinotage winner
that charmed the judges was the Tukulu Papkuilsfontein Pinotage
2004 (winemaker Adian Fry). It is the fourth Top 10 winning
wine entered by Tukulu, the flagship black empowerment venture
in Darling. The co-owners are Maluti Groenekloof Community
Trust, Leopont 98 Properties and Distell.
Stellenzicht Vineyards in
Stellenbosch also proved its pinotage class with a third Top
10 award for the Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage 2005
(winemaker Guy Webber), while Allée Bleue in Franschhoek
had its second Top 10 wine, the Allée Bleue Pinotage
2005 (winemaker Gerda Willers).
However, one of this year's
first-time winners can claim perhaps the closest relationship
to the first pinotage grapes grown in South Africa. It is
generally accepted that the first experimental pinotage vineyard
was established at the Elsenburg Agricultural College and
the first pinotage wine was made in small casks there in 1941.
In 2002 Morewag farm (near Klapmuts) asked Elsenburg students
in their practical year to make Morewag's first pinotage wine.
The Morewag Pinotage 2002 was duly selected as one of the
Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners.
Other first-time winners were
the Boland Cellar Winemakers Selection Pinotage 2004 (winemaker
Bernard Smuts), Camberley Pinotage 2005 (winemaker John Nel),
Pulpit Rock Pinotage 2004 (winemaker Piet Kleinhans) and Wellington
Cellar Pinotage Reserve 2003 (winemakers Koos Carstens and
Gert Boersen).
The judges also commented
on the adaptability and versatility of pinotage vines with
the winning wines representing more winegrowing areas each
year. In 1997, when the first competition was held, seven
of the Top 10 wines came from the Stellenbosch district. This
year four came from Stellenbosch, three from the Paarl district,
one each from the neighbouring Swartland and Darling districts,
whilst the pinotage entered by Allée Bleue was made
from grapes sourced more widely in the Western Cape region.
The judging of a record 120
entries took place in September at the Devon Valley Hotel.
According to the convener of the panel and Cape Wine Master,
Duimpie Bayly, the overall quality of all the entries was
exceptionally high this year. This made it challenging to
select the 20 finalist wines and difficult to exclude some
of those wines from the final Top 10.
The 10 finalists who did not
make the Top 10 were: Neethlingshof Pinotage 2002, Spier Private
Collection Pinotage 2004, Slanghoek Private Collection 2004,
Longridge Pinotage 2004, Dornier Pinotage 2004, Cloof Pinotage
2003, Groot Eiland Pinotage 2005, Bellevue PK Morkel Pinotage
2003, Kleine Parys Pinotage 2005 and Fantail Pinotage 2005.
Steve Booysen, group chief
executive of Absa, said: "As Absa we are proud of our
partnership with the Pinotage Association and the innovative
winemakers who share our commitment to quality."
"The competition has
contributed to raising the profile of pinotage locally and
abroad, and encouraged our winemakers to strive for excellence.
The success of the partnership in the last 10 years gives
me confidence in the future of our association and in the
ability of South Africans to compete with the best."
Presentation packages of the
2006 Absa Top 10 Pinotage wines will soon be available from
the Wine-of-the-Month-Club. Tel: 021 657 8100. E-mail: wineclub@wineofthemonth.co.za.
For more information on pinotage and the South African Pinotage
Association, visit the website www.pinotage.co.za.
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WINNING
WINES
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| The 2006
Absa Top 10 Pinotage wines (in
alphabetical order): |
•
Allée Bleue Pinotage
2005
•
Boland Cellar Winemakers
Selection Pinotage 2004
•
Camberley Pinotage 2005
•
Clos Malverne Pinotage
Reserve 2003
•
Kanonkop Pinotage 2004
•
Morewag Pinotage 2002
•
Pulpit Rock Pinotage 2004
•
Stellenzicht Golden Triangle
2005
•
Tukulu Papkuilsfontein
Pinotage 2004
•
Wellington Cellar Pinotage
Reserve 2003 |
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PINOTAGE
AND THE RESTAURATEUR
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According
to Bennie Howard, Cape
Wine Master and MD of
Meerendal, where they
pair many dishes with
pinotage, all restaurants
should have pinotage on
their winelists to satisfy
customer demand and create
a balanced wine offering.
The varietal can be enjoyed
with a big variety of
foods depending on the
style of the wine. Typically
these include: seared
tuna, snoek, steak, venison,
lamb, pork, and cheese.
Pinotage can even be served
chilled with chocolate
dessert.
Howard
believes it is the role
of both the SA Pinotage
Association and individual
pinotage producers to
actively market and promote
their wines to the restaurant
industry and believes
the varietal is now established
enough to withstand the
whims of winewriters chasing
the next fashion.
"I
believe that restaurant
owners are driven by profit
and public demand, rather
than what is described
by winewriters,"
said Howard. "With
all the activity of the
producers of pinotage
and its proudly South
African image, no restaurateur
can afford to leave pinotage
off his or her winelist."
Marius
Labuschagne, a spokesman
for the SA Pinotage Association,
said the organisation
targeted the public and
expects the restaurant
customer to create the
demand. He agrees with
Howard that the opinions
of one or two winewriters
are unlikely to exert
much influence on public
demand.
"The
group of wine consumers
that read about wine is
less than 1% and most
restaurant wine drinkers
do not focus on every
little detail," he
said. "Quality is
the main criteria and
most wines are made for
what the market wants
and not styled to suit
the personal demands of
a few wine critics."
Labuschagne
maintains that sales are
the only thing that really
counts and asserts that
most pinotage producers
agree that their pinotage
wines are amongst their
best sellers.
"There
is a demand for pinotage
amongst wine consumers
and even serious wine
lovers, which is backed
up by the fact that the
20 finalists of the Absa
Top 10 Pinotage Competition
are usually sold out within
a few weeks of the results
being announced,"
he said.
"Pinotage
is a popular wine due
to the combination of
accessibility and quality
with that smooth fruit
combined with solid structure
making it a versatile
wine that you can enjoy
on its own or with food.
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