Wine Reviews: Pinotage

A few months back, I mentioned Pinotage in a post on Meritage. As a refresher, remember the two terms are completely unrelated! Meritage is an American term that refers to red wine made with grapes from the traditional Bordeaux style blend. (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec). Pinotage, on the other hand, is the name of a grape! Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Plus, it is most notably grown in South Africa. Check out the details and my review on my lasting Pinotage tasting below!

My Thursday Night Pinotage Tasting.

To understand Pinotage, it may be helpful to understand it's "parent grapes." Cinsault is commonly found in the South of France or in red blends produced in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. On it's own, Cinsault makes some low quality wines but brings some distinct savory characteristics to red blends. Some common flavors include: cherry, pepper and even a
"meaty" aspect. In comparison, Pinot Noir definitely "wears the pants" in this relationship. It's a noble grape, known for it's light bodied flavors of cranberry, cherry or raspberry, medium high acidity and low tannin. It is also high maintenance on the vine and sometimes problematic to grow.

Together, they create Pinotage, which has hints of berry fruit up front with a spicy, almost meaty finish, moderate acidity and moderate tannin. Check out my tasting notes below:

Fairview Pinotage 2012

Where it's from. Paarl, South Africa. (Approximately 20 miles from Cape Town)

My thoughts. Overall, this was a fun wine with some interesting flavors. The color was beautiful, a deep, almost slightly burnt, magenta. The aroma was stong, but  not overwhelming, and including dark berry scents. Finally, the taste was super smooth with mild acidity and moderate tannin. Flavors of black pepper and earth were most notable. This wine is not for timid wine drinkers, but it's not as adventurous as orange wines or bold Bordeaux blends. (Orange wines do exist and are definitely a conversation for another day).

Cheers!

Winter Wine Project: A.A. Badenhorst Family Chenin Blanc

My winter wine project is officially underway! I decided to start with Chenin Blanc from South Africa - why, you may ask? - mostly because I thought it would go well with my dinner that night. Plus, if my first trip to the wine store is any indicator, it is going to be very difficult to find 10 wines on this list, let alone the 25 I hope to taste. But let's get this show on the road!

First, let's hit some background on the wine region (my personal favorite) - South Africa. I have had several very interesting wines from this region and look forward to the wines of the future. South Africa has 4 main wine regions: Klein Karoo, Breede River Valley, Olifants River Valley and the Coastal Region. The Coastal Region includes the most well-known districts, such as, Darling, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Swartland. This wine comes from Swartland, which is known for it's non-conformist winemakers who like to push the envelope. Perfect - let's get to tasting!

A.A. Badenhorst Family Chenin Blanc Swartland Secatuers 2012

Grapes:  100% Chenin Blanc. This grape is known for its good acidity levels, thin skin and high natural sugar levels. Thus, you will commonly see it in sparkling or sweet wines. Though it is growing in popularity with dry versions.

Where it's from:  There is a lot going on with this label - so much so I had to throw a few words into Google to double check whether they were indicators of the winery or not. The wine was made in the Swartland wine region of South Africa. The term "Secateurs" is a brand name of the A.A. Badenhorst Family winery.

Winemaker's Notes:  Wine was matured for 7 months on it's gross lees.*

Alcohol: 14%

What the label says:  "Flinty with honey, orange blossom and white stone fruit notes."

My thoughts:  First, I am so excited for this project because of how much I am learning already. Specifically, I learned that *gross lees typically refers to the size of debris (grape skins, seeds, stems, yeast, etc) that sits at the bottom of the fermented with the juice. Winemaker's typically filter the juice to remove these debris systematically until you end you with clear fermented grape juice, aka WINE. Maturing wine with gross lees for too long and lead to some issues later on with regard unintended chemical reactions, so I definitely thought this was an interesting winemaker choice. Regardless, the wine was delicious! It had a crisp aroma, clear elements of fresh minerality. The taste was as expected for chenin blanc, biting acidity with fresh fruit flavors. Definitely a great start to the winter wine project!

Up next -- 2012 Kung Fu Girl Riesling from Washington State and A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir from Oregon.

Happy Holidays and Cheers!