Comprising 7.22% of the total vineyards, Pinotage is
South Africa’s seventh most planted cultivar. Despite a current decrease in
grafted vines ordered, Vititec CEO, Nico Spreeth, explains that the demand for Pinotage has continued to rise over the past ten years (Figure 1).
“Between 2008 and 2013, the demand was greater than
the supply and a lot of inferior, often uncertified material was used,” he
says. “This resulted in a lot of Pinotage vines affected by the leaf roll
virus. However, these issues and consequent problems are being addressed and
the existing plant material is mostly certified from mother blocks.”
Striving for quality
Pinotage is not the easiest cultivar to work with and
Abrie Beeslaar, winemaker at Kanonkop in Stellenbosch – one of South Africa’s most
iconic Pinotage producers – believes that it is the unique combination of
marginal soils and specific climatic conditions that leads to top quality. Old
bush vines, lower yields and picking at optimum ripeness are just some of the
key factors adding to their success.
Another iconic Pinotage producer is Pierre Wahl of
Rijk’s in Tulbagh. For him it is important to ensure good sunlight penetration by
means of leaf thinning at the right time, while also managing water stress
throughout the ripening season.
The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is a relatively
new area for Pinotage, but Southern Right producer, Anthony Hamilton Russell, believes
that as an early ripening grape, Pinotage is well-suited to cooler areas.
“We should aim to produce Pinotage with more restraint
and classicism, with lower pHs, higher acidities, more vibrancy and mineral
tension,” he says.
Spier red winemaker, Johan Jordaan, explains that
Pinotage is the least suited to over-extraction. “The grapes should be physiologically
ripe. You have to work it softly and hold the wine back – it should almost be
treated like a Pinot Noir.”
“Wood selection is crucial and the objective is to
produce a wine with a full structure and good palate length. French oak, as
well as some eastern European oak with finer tannins, works well and producers
are starting to move in that direction,” he says. “A lot of American oak was
used in the past and this only adds insult to injury, creating a brash, in your
face wine.”
When made right, Pinotage can age well and this is one
of its most exciting features. Etienne Louw, winemaker at Altydgedacht in
Durbanville, warns that although Pinotage’s ageability should be promoted,
producers must ensure that the wines are also ready to drink when released, in
order to avoid customer dissatisfaction.
Moving on
Quality is on the up and South African Pinotage has
moved on from the days of burnt rubber and duco. Etienne explains that tasting
on various panels, it is encouraging to see that the faulty wines of 10 to 20
years ago are now few and far between.
While producers have largely learnt from their
mistakes, the category still needs refining and more precision. Craig Hawkins of
Lammershoek in the Swartland explains that he generally still finds South
African Pinotage too overworked and “made”.
“The way forward is with more terroir-driven Pinotages
– our aim should be to cut back on the crutches of adding too much wood, tannin
and acid, and let the grape and soil do the talking,” he says.
A myriad of styles
Being able to produce anything from MCC, white wine
and rosé, to dessert wine, port and even base wine for brandy, Pinotage is certainly
a versatile cultivar. Aside from all of these products, Pinotage can also
produce many different red wine styles, from
unwooded Beaujolais-types, to full, oaky and serious
wines. This has enabled Beyers and Anri Truter of Beyerskloof to build an entire
range focused primarily on one cultivar.
Pinotage is a great blending partner and for Beyers,
it works best with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz, or possibly something
like Grenache or Malbec. However, Pierre is not such a big fan of using
Cabernet Sauvignon. “Pinotage has enough tannins, so unless the Cab is riper, I
won’t go the Bordeaux route. Rather opt for something like Grenache, Shiraz or
Cinsaut.”
The Cape Blend category, which stipulates a minimum
usage of 30% Pinotage, is a relatively new concept aimed at boosting the cultivar’s
following. While the number of wines seem to be growing, the category is still
struggling to find its feet.
General manager of Ultra Liquors’ wine division, Mark
Norrish, believes that it is wrong to prescribe a percentage of Pinotage to be
used in the blend. “The Bordelaise don’t stipulate how much Cabernet Sauvignon
or Merlot should be in a Bordeaux blend. Taking climatic and seasonal changes
into account, this enables them to make the best possible wine each year,” he
says.
“We also find that people don’t really understand Cape
Blends. If the wines were top quality and people enjoyed it and bought it, then
we can maybe stipulate a minimum percentage, but the public aren’t buying into
this concept yet.”
Selling it
Local sales of Pinotage are slowly increasing, having
grown from around 2.28 million litres in 2004 to 3.79 million litres in 2013.
For most producers, Pinotage is a good sell. Wynand Lategan of Lanzerac in
Stellenbosch explains that Pinotage is their biggest seller locally, while it
is also usually the first wine asked for by overseas visitors.
However, Pinotage’s growth is lagging behind the other
red categories and Mark explains that it is underperforming in terms of sales.
“Based on the first six months of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013,
Pinotage’s growth rate is about half of our total current wine sales growth.”
Although most restaurants are eager to list at least
one Pinotage, sommelier Higgo Jacobs explains that it remains a hand-sell, bought
mostly in higher-end restaurants by overseas visitors. “Pairing game with
Pinotage is a great way in which to promote this local cultivar and local
produce,” he says.
Combining Pinotage and food is a recipe for success
and the Pinotage restaurant and wine bar in Beijing, China, has expanded to now
include two branches. This restaurant offers contemporary South African
cuisine, with more than 100 South African wines to choose from. Unfortunately,
not that many great Pinotage producers are on the wine list, but it is a great
brand building exercise nonetheless.
When it comes to exporting Pinotage, Anthony explains
that the international interest in the idea of Pinotage remains strong, but
that too many people have been let down by what they taste. “However, when good
Pinotage is judged for what is in the bottle, and not what others have said
about it, it generally enthuses people,” he says.
According to Sawis, the export volumes of packaged
Pinotage have decreased from 9.61 million litres in 2008 to 7.6 million in 2013,
while the bulk volumes have risen from 7.98 million litres to 9.27 million.
“When the markets opened up in the nineties, we showed
Pinotage in a variety of styles and quality levels, and it did not always
impress the rest of the world. In fact, we are still recovering from the bad
press it got back then,” Johan says. “We have learned a lot from this
experience – as South African winemakers, we are responsible for the image and
acceptance of Pinotage on a consumer level.”
With nearly 17 million litres of Pinotage leaving our
borders, it is essential to monitor the quality in the bulk and packaged
sectors.
Putting a price on it
Anthony explains that, compared to other cultivars, they
have to unquestionably accept a discount to the true worth of the wine, simply
because it is Pinotage. “There is interest, but not much brand value in the
cultivar,” he says.
The Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage is the highest
priced Pinotage from South Africa, selling at R1 250. Abrie explains that this
is a different, small volume wine and that people are prepared to pay for this
uniqueness. “We shouldn’t be too conservative when it comes to charging higher
prices – people are prepared to pay for quality,” he says.
Caroline Rillema of Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar finds
that foreign buyers are especially interested in Pinotages priced at R200 plus.
However, Mark explains that this is a difficult price point for many wines at
the moment – and even more so for Pinotage.
Looking at the lower price points, the so-called
coffee Pinotages are still selling particularly well, with six of Ultra
Liquors’ top 10 selling Pinotages in this particular style.
Caroline explains that with these wines, an awareness
and following has been created among younger people, roping in more wine
drinkers across the board. “I just think that more information should be
provided as to what the coffee word means – many novices think that it is
actually coffee-flavoured wine!”
Another important style to take note of are the unwooded, fruit-driven and lighter bodied Pinotages. These seem to be growing in popularity and for Higgo, this is an exciting prospect, especially for consumption in warmer areas.
The customer is always right
Mark explains that when considering quality and style,
we can be proud of our top and bottom end Pinotages. “It is the middle area –
with prices between R40 and R80 – that I worry about. The problem is that
consumers have nowhere to go from the bottom end, before reaching the top end;
we are missing something in-between.”
Mark believes that the public is generally not buying
into Pinotage’s current taste profile. “Producers and marketers need be more
tuned in to the conversation to find out what the consumers like and what they
don’t like,” he says. “At entry to mid-level, consumers tend to look for two
things – smoothness and fruitiness. They just want to enjoy the wine. Look at
Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot and ask yourself why these categories are so successful.”
Getting rid of the baggage
Pinotage’s earlier problems and unforgiving faults
seem to be something of the past, but its global image is still riddled with issues
– not the least being the constant focus on the history. Why is it that we
cannot seem to talk about Pinotage without going back almost 90 years to when A
I Perold crossed Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage)?
Following a ‘Then and Now’ Pinotage presentation at
Cape Wine 2012, international journalist Rebecca Gibb reported on the grape’s
poor image and perception issues. “I came wanting to make peace with Pinotage
but left feeling belligerent,” she wrote. “The content of the seminar was
mostly ‘Then’ and not ‘Now’.”
“Pinotage has a serious image problem. This was an
opportunity to discuss the issue and offer some solution. What a wasted opportunity.”
She concluded, “Maybe it has got its act together but the perception problem is
still there. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending there is no issue won’t solve it.”
Anthony believes that it is the “old South Africa”
stigma that puts the media and new generation producers off Pinotage, more so
than its supposed shortcomings. “If you have a bad glass of Shiraz, you blame
the producer; if you have a bad glass of Pinotage, you blame the grape,” he
says. “We are always having to defend its intrinsic merits. The grape is great,
its brand needs rescuing.”
“I am extremely positive about Pinotage and many of
the wines made from it, but I remain greatly disappointed by our inability as
an industry to effectively project a positive personality for Pinotage to the
trade and consumers internationally,” he says.
Abrie believes that this is a self-esteem issue –
“these wines can compete at the highest level and we should be proud of that.
As a winemaker, even if you don’t make Pinotage, you can still help to promote
it by being positive about it; it doesn’t cost you anything.”
Proudly South African
Although the public might not care how Pinotage came
to be, the fact remains that it is our native grape and we should use that to our
advantage. No other country can dictate the style or typicity, and we need to
use this uniqueness and set the scene, before someone else beats us at our
game.
Pinotage plantings are growing – albeit from a small
base – outside of South Africa, and is currently planted in Brazil, the Napa
Valley, Chile, Canada and New Zealand, with vines even being planted in the
south of France. This could be helpful in spreading the Pinotage gospel, but
with Greystone Wines’ Muddy Water Pinotage from New Zealand sold out at a price
of NZD35,95 (around R330), we should undoubtedly watch our backs and up our
game.
Going forward
To ensure top quality Pinotage, it is essential that
producers use clean plant material and establish vineyards on the right sites, doing
the right things in the vineyard and cellar.
Wynand says, “I would love to see more focused
attempts at Pinotage, with producers making the right styles for their areas.
If you want to produce a serious Pinotage, you need to take Pinotage seriously.”
Anthony is disappointed in many of the new generation
winemakers, “who haven’t had the courage to invest passion, money and effort in
upgrading Pinotage, as they have done so well with other cultivars.”
Beyers believes that, while we do have passionate
young winemakers who can take this cause forward, the Pinotage Association
should play a bigger role in bringing the older Pinotage producers and the new
generation together.
With better quality wines, we are inching ever closer
to that sweet spot – but we’re not there yet. This is no time for complacency and
a continuous effort is needed to refine the wines and improve the image and
overall ‘coolness’ of Pinotage.
“It may be a path of most resistance, but it is a
worthy path – it is the creation of something new,” Anthony says. Pinotage is
our own and instead of apologising for its supposed flaws, we should confidently
and collectively work towards raising the bar and pushing the boundaries.