2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Pinotage (Pinotage) is a hybrid red grape variety that was created in 1925 by Professor Abraham Perold at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Pinotage is obtained by crossing the Senzo and Pinot Noir varieties.
This is an extremely popular variety for South Africa, but was completely unknown to the world until 1959, when it won several awards at wine shows for the first time. Apart from South Africa, New Zealand and California have small plantations of pinotage.
Most of the Pinot plantations in the world are located in South Africa, where the variety occupies about 6% of the vineyard, but at the same time is considered a symbol of the distinctive wine traditions of the country.
As pinotage gives good grape harvests, producers very often produce wine from it of very low quality. In the past, it was considered difficult to make good wine of this variety, but fortunately, in recent years, producers have become poorer and are focusing on reducing Pinotha yields at the expense of quality. Careful winemaking techniques began to be used.
History of Pinotage
As it turned out, the variety pinotage was established in 1925 in South Africa by Professor Abraham Perold, the first professor of viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch. Perold tried to combine the best qualities of the Hermitage with Pinot Noir - grapes that make great wine, but grow hard. Perold plants a few seeds in the garden at his official residence and seems to forget about them.
In 1927 he left the university and gradually his garden grew. The team is sent from the university to clean it, but a young professor who knows about the professor's seedlings saves the planted vines.
The young plants moved to the university under Perold's successor, Professor Theron. In 1935, Theron transplanted them. Meanwhile, Abraham Perold continues to visit his former colleagues, and Theron shows him the new grafted vines. The variety that is chosen for propagation is called pinotage.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a serious trend in South Africa towards huge production, which ruined the reputation of all South African wines. As a result, an association was formed in 1918, which strictly monitors the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of wine.
After the fall of apartheid in 1991 and the election of Mandela in 1994, the wine industry opened up to the world. There are changes in the cultivation of vineyards, because so far farmers have emphasized high yields and mainly produced different types of brandy. The varieties that are used for volume production of brandy give way to the so-called. noble varieties, among which is and pinotage.
Features of pinotage
The wine variety Pinotage is used to produce quality red wines with fruity aromas of banana, cherry and strawberry, as well as delicate notes of tar and smoke. Some wines have amazing aromas of raspberry and even red pepper. The wide range of wines pinotage can surprise every taste - the range of flavors in this wine can be likened to dried leaves, bacon, sweet and sour sauce and sweet pipe tobacco.
Pinotage is characterized by strong tannins, and in terms of acidity, grapes have low acidity, which causes most producers to acidify their wines at the beginning of the fermentation process so that the acids are more integrated.
The well-integrated oxidation is invisible, but some tasters can feel this feature in the pinot.
Pinotage is a very controversial wine, and it is possible to get a very bad wine because the variety is unstable.
Poor quality pinotha has a sharp and sharp aroma, which can even be likened to that of nail polish removers. This aroma is a clear sign that the wine has high levels of volatile acids, which are caused by acetic acid. In addition to the pungent odor, some wines may taste like burnt tar.
Serving of pinotage
Like all other red wines from North Africa, Pinotage is available in different styles - some wines are lighter and more fruity than others. Pinotage is not very elegant, but goes well with duck and pork, goes well with Mediterranean dishes with peppers and eggplant. Pasta dishes such as lasagna and pizza are also suitable for pinotage.
Lighter wines pinotage become increasingly popular in combination with sausages, pâtés, winter stews. Hard cheeses like cheddar and even blue cheeses are good choices for pinothing. Pinothage in combination with blue cheese and fresh figs can satisfy every taste.
Pinotash can go well with curry, it goes well with spicy barbecue sauces and chili con carne. Marinated lamb, grilled mushrooms, dark leafy vegetables are a good companion to this South African wine.
