Pinotage
We're making a long trip today to the Stellenbosch region of South Africa to check out our Pinotage plantings. Never heard of pinotage? Now is the time.
Pinotage is a relatively new grape -- a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. I know, you get where the pinot part of Pinotage comes from, but how about the last three letters? Well, around 100 years ago, the grape that is known particularly in the Languedoc region of France as Cinsault was called Hermitage in South Africa. Now you get it.
Pinotage is a vineyard master's dream. It's hardy, harvests relatively early, is brightly colored, and has medium acidity. The problem with pinotage from a winemaker's standpoint is that as a species, it is very high in esters. And, esters in wine tend to impart the smell of nail polish. Don't worry, though, both cold fermentation and extremely hot fermentation tend to cause the esters to react out of the process.
For the most part, Pinotage is bottled as a single-varietal wine after oak fermentation. At its best, it will produce fairly rich, long-lasting, smoky wines, with a hint of sweetness that may emerge when paired with the similarly smoky foods.
If you're cooking on your Big Green Egg or over a natural wood fire, pair Pinotage with sausage, bison, or venison.
As they might say in the Cape region, gesondheid!
Pinotage is a relatively new grape -- a hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. I know, you get where the pinot part of Pinotage comes from, but how about the last three letters? Well, around 100 years ago, the grape that is known particularly in the Languedoc region of France as Cinsault was called Hermitage in South Africa. Now you get it.
Pinotage is a vineyard master's dream. It's hardy, harvests relatively early, is brightly colored, and has medium acidity. The problem with pinotage from a winemaker's standpoint is that as a species, it is very high in esters. And, esters in wine tend to impart the smell of nail polish. Don't worry, though, both cold fermentation and extremely hot fermentation tend to cause the esters to react out of the process.
For the most part, Pinotage is bottled as a single-varietal wine after oak fermentation. At its best, it will produce fairly rich, long-lasting, smoky wines, with a hint of sweetness that may emerge when paired with the similarly smoky foods.
If you're cooking on your Big Green Egg or over a natural wood fire, pair Pinotage with sausage, bison, or venison.
As they might say in the Cape region, gesondheid!
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