Abrie Beeslaar

Prof Archer

Susan Erasmus

New Vintage Pinotage Tasting

The annual New Vintage Pinotage Tasting took place at Doornbosch in Stellenbosch on Thursday 22 July. A little later in the calendar than usual due to the Soccer World Cup, it offered fourteen wines from different viticultural areas as examples of the potential of the 2010 Pinotage harvest.

Member’s wines are tasted initially within each area and the wine that is considered the best example of the area, or one that shows the best potential, is then submitted for the vintage tasting. This allows for a wide diversity of taste and style, as wines range from coastal, to inland areas even as far as the Orange River and does not centre on the traditional Stellenbosch area where there is a concentration of Pinotage wines.

Guest speaker, Professor Eben Archer an experienced and well respected viticulturist, analyzed some of the climatic conditions that had not made the 2010 harvest an easy one.
Although his data was based on the climatic conditions in Nietvoorbij the consensus was that most areas had similar problems.

High winds in November had been one of the factors and days of rain and low temperatures in October had affected the growth and size of the berries in certain vineyards. However the temperatures in December and January fluctuated less allowing for steady growth. All these factors affect colour, size of the berry, sugar and acid levels and flavour, making the wine maker’s job more difficult but also more challenging.

Wines were tasted in flights of 4, 5 and a further 5 allowing the wine makers to describe their wine after the tasting and for a further overall opinion to be offered after each flight. Discussion was encouraged as part of the reason behind the vintage tasting is for wine makers to share their knowledge and experience.

Wineries that participated were Swartland Winery, Fairview Winery, Wildekrans Wine Estate, Grootdrink Wine Cellar, Spruitdrift Cellar, Spier Wines, Kleine Zalze Wine Estate, Viljoendrift Wines, Perdeberg Winery, Alvi’s Drift, L’Avenir, Simonsig Wine Estate, Wellington Winery and Botha Cellar.

The increasing number of women wine makers in the industry was well represented as well as international interest from an Australian winemaker currently gaining experience about Pinotage in South Africa.

Debbie Thompson, Beyers Truter, Jim de Kock, Linley Shultz, Annamarie van Niekerk, Duimpie Bayly

De Wet Viljoen Vice Chairman of the Pinotage Association commented on how pleased he was to see such a lot of interest and enthusiasm from the younger wine makers as this could only bode well for the future of Pinotage.

Duimpie Bayly from the Pinotage Association summed up the wines presented when he said that the wines had varied somewhat but he felt that the wines were overall elegant and easy drinking. “We are blessed in South Africa with great diversity of terroir and climate and the wines appear to be getting better every year. Pinotage is well suited to the South African conditions and is a varietal that we should be justly proud of. The young wine tasting is an excellent place to enjoy, learn and share one’s knowledge and passion and is good for the industry. All in all I see a bright future for Pinotage based on what we have tasted today.”