Pinotage Party Recap: “I’m Coming Out!”

Hello Friends,

The Pinotage Party is here and we are changing the song from “Don’t Let Me be Misunderstood” to the 80’s hit by Diana Ross, “I’m Coming Out,” because that’s exactly what we’re doing, bringing a good bottle of Pinotage out via our respective wine blogs for all to see. For those who already enjoy a good bottle of Pinotage from time to time, great! Hopefully this will open up your eyes to some new selections or remind you about a selection you have enjoyed in the past. For those of you who have reservations about Pinotage, I hope you use these reviews to give Pinotage a chance in your glass. Check out the reviews from my awesome wine blogging buddies who participated in the “Pinotage Party” below. If you did not participate and have a Pinotage to recommend, please chime in and let us know what it is. Thank you to all who participated.

Pinotage Grapes

• My California wine buddy Keith from BrainWines, who also got this Pinotage Party started with me, blogged his reviews from his vacation spot in Brazil. Keith reviewed three Pinotage selections for the Pinotage Party and one was from Brazil! How about that for a twist, eh? Keith reviewed the Kaapzicht Estate Wine "Stellenbosch" 2002 from South Africa, the Marcus James Pinotage 2007 from Brazil, and the Hill and Dale [Stellenzicht] Pinotage 2007 from South Africa.

• Peter May, founder of The Pinotage Club, who has an excellent wine blog that is dedicated to the South African grape variety that we are celebrating, reviewed the Beyerskloof Pinotage 2008 and the Kanonkop Estate Pinotage 2006. Both of these wines are from Stellenbosch, South Africa. If you want to expand your Pinotage horizons, friends, subscribe to Peter’s wine blog here.
  
  
• Sue Courtney of Wine of Week wine blog reviewed the Kerr Farm Kumeu Pinotage 2004 from Auckland, New Zealand. Although I have heard a lot about New Zealand Pinotage, these wines are difficult to find here in the States. Sue’s informative review really has me excited to find one!
  
  
• Old school punk rocker and fellow wine blogging buddy Ben of Vinotology reviewed the Fleur Du Cap Pinotage 2007 from Stellenbosch, South Africa. Ben says, "Waiter, There's a Pig in My Wine." Click on the link for the pork filled details, friends.
  
  
• My friends The Terroirists reviewed the Sebeka Shiraz-Pinotage 2007 from the Western Cape of South Africa. Check out their review and the goose hunt my wine pals had to go on to find a Pinotage in Walla Walla, Washington St.
  
  
• Tonisha, of The Grapevine wine blog reviewed the Golden Kaan Pinotage 2006 from the Western Cape of South Africa. Tonisha paired this wine with a dish and the result was what she calls “amazing!” Click here to read the delicious details, friends.

My selection for the “Pinotage Party” was the Spier Private Collection Pinotage 2006. Spier was among one of the first established farm winery’s in the acclaimed Stellenbosch wine producing region. The “Private Collection” label is made in limited quantities from hand-selected & sorted fruit and only released in good vintage years.

Pinotage Pours of Joy

The Spier Private Collection Pinotage 2006 is a fruit-focused, solid structured wine with a complex frame-work. It does not have the overwhelming gamy, smoky, and sometimes austere character that turns some tasters away. In the glass, the Spier Private Collection Pinotage 2006 exhibits a deep, rich garnet color that shows its concentration. The swirl & sniff offers intense dark cherry and plum aromas with toast and spice undertones and a faint hint of tobacco leaf. On the sip, the wine is mouth-filling and ripe with rounded tannins and a lush texture with a long juicy finish. This wine clocks in at 14.5% alcohol by volume and has a real cork enclosure. In my humble opinion, this is more of a food wine that would pair nicely with pork, game, and lamb dishes. While this Pinotage is well made, for $20 you have to think about dropping the Cinsaut and looking for a straight entry level Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley or Russian River Valley. But depending on your evening fare, a Pinotage wine of this stature may very well be a better paring than that of its parent Pinot Noir. Either way, if you curious about Pinotage, this is definitely worth your buy and try, friends.

Pinotage Grapes

Stay tuned friends ... lot's more to come, including a Tannat tasting by Keith of @brainwines !

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