The Pinotage debate

In 2001, South African drinkers were introduced to what would become a global hit: coffee-flavoured Pinotage in the form of Diemersfontein Pinotage. Pioneered by winemaker Bertus Fourie, the red wine with the distinct coffee notes had previous non-wine drinkers in a mad craze. This was the next big, best-loved thing. Immediately it had the wine world divided. Experts criticised it for the oak and cellar techniques intentionally applied to mask more traditional Pinotage aromas and taste, to instead amplify coffee aromas – while others simply adored it.

 

Fourie (with the nickname Starbucks) created a similar style of Pinotage at KWV, called Café Culture, before moving to Val de Vie wine estate in Paarl, where the famous Barista red wines are brewed by his hands. Defending his work, Fourie makes a valid statement: if this style of wine is converting previous beer and whisky drinkers to wine drinkers, then what’s the harm?

Traditionalists argue against this democratisation of wine, purely because “it is not Pinotage” – according to one avid member of the Pinotage Association.

Diemersfontein, incidentally, also produces one of South Africa’s prime examples of the varietal. The Carpe Diem Pinotage – the ‘03 vintage won the SA Red Wine Trophy at the International Wine Challenge in 2005 and was auctioned at the Nederburg Auction – impresses with aromas of ripe, red fruit and, intriguingly, hints of white chocolate. On the Diemersfontein website owner David Sonnenberg lends his interesting analogy to the argument: “I feel like the parent of two teenage daughters – one is a classically trained violinist who dresses modestly and pulls the crowds in the exclusive concert halls; the other, a mini-skirted and occasionally provocative pop star who wows the younger generation but has fans of all ages.” Is it therefore safe to conclude that the majority of South African wine drinkers prefer Bieber to Bach?

Wineries have been quick to cotton-on to this marketing wave. Since the launch of the Diemersfontein Pinotage, the winedrinking public has been inundated with examples of wines with coffee aromas. The list is long and has been extended to include other varieties apart from the ‘traditionally accepted’ Pinotage (see box above for some examples).

Pinotage is South Africa’s very own, indigenous, wine grape. It was pioneered on local soil by Professor Perold when he crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault (previously known as Hermitage), with the first bottling taking place at Lanzerac in 1959. It has since evolved into a varietal with a fair amount of supporters – and detractors.

It has been observed that three styles of Pinotage exist: those which take after their Burgundian line with aromatic, red berry aromas with a medium-bodied structure and velvety tannins; those that are riper in style displaying black fruit, prune and are intense and concentrated on the palate; and, finally, the coffee-mocha styles. The latter being a bit of a broad descriptor to denote the variety, as coffee is a philandering style that can be found in everything from Malbec to Cabernet.

Although it remains Pinotage which seems most susceptible to this coffee style. Is it something worth pursuing? In 2009, after having tasted 25 examples of Pinotage at Wosa’s London Megatasting, Richard Hemming, a contributor to Jancis Robinson’s website, observed: “The Pinot Noir style, while often tasty, didn’t seem to contribute anything new or unique, and will never reach the pure excellence of its progenitor… So, for my money, the pioneering Diemersfontein coffee style is the way ahead, because it is simultaneously excellent quality and completely unlike any other wine style I have tried, and that lends it most value to the diversity of the wine world, as well as giving South African wine a quite unique flagship.”

Winemaker Beyers Truter, of Beyerskloof, as chairman of the Pinotage Association, is perhaps the most devoted of Pinotage’s many guardians, but he is wary to comment on the coffee-Pinotage styles, precisely because he doesn’t agree that it shows the wine in its best, truest form.

Truter, together with the Pinotage Association, has been instrumental in guarding the reputation of Pinotage; a grape that comes with a lot of baggage. Of the descriptors that had been bestowed on it, coffee is definitely the least offensive. To the disdain of the association, Pinotage has had to deal with a range of non-flattering descriptors: ‘rusty nails’ was a favourite adjective applied by the international community in the 1990s, whereas ‘burnt rubber’ and ‘baked banana’ added further insult to injury.

Beyers explains: “Those (descriptors) are due to faulty winemaking practices, and not limited to Pinotage. Too cold fermentation and incorrect pH management caused a lot of less desirable aromas in Pinotage, but together with the association, a lot of education has gone into Pinotage-sensitive cellar practices.” There has also been a move away from wines with too much wood, tannin and alcohol.

To illustrate his point, and to showcase what he believes is a more authentic style of Pinotage, Beyers presented me with a vertical tasting of Pinotage dating back to Lanzerac’s 1969 vintage. Also included in the line-up were Simonsig ’78, Zonnebloem ’88, Kanonkop ’99 and Beyerskloof Diesel ’07, a spectrum of wines that Truter believes illustrate the more desirable, genuine Pinotage characteristics: plums, red and black fruit with a sweet undertone and velvety tannins. The series also demonstrated that Pinotage has an inclination to mature beautifully, indicative of a varietal that has more potential than just instant, mass gratification. But these wines are hard to come by (the Lanzerac ’69, says Beyers, is priceless, but if you do find a bottle, you will have to pay close to R2 000), while you’d have to fork out close to R400 for the Kanonkop and Beyerskloof Diesel. Is it fair to conclude that, with Pinotage, price equals quality? Beyers is adamant that there is good drinking to be had at a far lower price point, which is often where consumers encounter the coffee labels.

“At all times wine producers should chase classic balance,” he says – if that is achieved then coffee-mocha aromas become secondary, but it is when it dominates all the finer nuances of a wine that it becomes a problem.

It is a personal thing, but in my opinion, there is more satisfaction to be had listening to Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor than another teenager in a mini-skirt…

PINOTAGE: THE VERTICAL TASTING

A vertical tasting demonstrated the range of flavours and complexity that Pinotage is capable of. But it was the ageing capability that stood out. One of the wines was over 40 years old, and still going strong…

Zonnebloem ’88
Distinct farmyard character on nose. Not as liberal and enticing as the other wines in flight. Acidity slightly pronounced, but has a savouriness to it which lends appeal.

Lanzerac ’69
A wine that demands respect. Savoury notes dominate, with hints of red berry reminiscent of youth. Gentle in the mouth but with good weight and integration.

Lanzerac ’69 (375ml)
Perfumed nose with black fruit. Intense and delicious savoury notes on a palate that keeps evolving.

Kanonkop ’99
Upfront nose shows bright, ripe plums and even some peach. Sweet oak spice with fine, but pronounced tannins. This wine still needs time. Drink in 20 or 30 years.

Simonsig ’78
Dense black and red fruit, with hints of toffee too. Very structured, solid midpalate showing a melange of black fruit and plums.

Diesel ’07
Attention-grabbing nose shows ripe plums, incense, vanilla and white chocolate. Sweet, juicy tannins on a substantial palate with core of black and red fruit. Immaculate balance and length.