Hybrid History Lesson
Rijk?s Pinotage, 2002, Tulbagh, South Africa
Everyone knows about Cabernet and Chardonnay; Merlot and Pinot Grigio. Lots of people know about Pinot Noir and a few have even heard of the Rhone varietal Cinsaut. But who knows what happens when you take Pinot, Cinsaut and introduce a guy named Abraham Izak Perold. This is how we get Pinotage, the quintessential South African varietal…
In 1925 Perold created the hybrid grape by pollinating a male Cinsaut flower with Pinot pollen, but the four seedlings that were born were just at the beginning of their journey. The young vines were nearly thrown away, and were later grafted to immune rootstock, narrowly avoiding a local infestation of a viral disease. It was first used to make wine in 1941, but it wasn?t until 1959 that it was recognized as a quality product when it took honors at the Cape Wine Show. The enhanced popularity turned out to be less than a blessing, as increased production resulted in a decrease in quality of product. In fact, in 1976 a group of British Wine Masters described the wine as having the character of “rusty nails” and a nose that was “hot and horrible”. Many producers uprooted their vines and others were extremely hesitant to plant any new Pinotage.
In 1987 those producers that maintained faith finally received their chance to put Pinotage back on the map; at the Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year competition, which was dedicated to the misunderstood varietal. The renewed attention reminded collectors of their old cellared bottles, which were found to have aged superbly. So Pinotage survived against impossible odds, which is what brings me here today.
Let?s be honest, South African wines are not for everybody. They are frequently abrasive and can be disjointed and unbalanced, with excessive tannin and acid. A colleague of mine at the Iron Bridge Wine Company has described their unique terroir as being reminiscent of lion poo. None of these are the case with Rijk?s 2002 Pinotage. Look for banana and red berries on the nose, with smooth vanilla from the mostly new oak. Cherries and peppery spice linger on the palate, along with buttery caramel from the malolactic fermentation. This wine finishes long with cocoa and smoky, but rounded tannins.
Pairing Pinotage is easy. With medium bodied examples, game fish, sushi or ratatouille are good matches. In the case of heavier Pinotage, like Rijk?s 2002, venison and pork ribs do well, especially with rich sauces. The truth is, you can pair this wine with almost anything outside of oily fish, simply because there is a little too much tannin. Personally I did blue stilton and prosciutto, then a dark chocolate ganache cake. All complimented each other brilliantly.
Cheap? No. But it may be the best Pinotage on the planet. I think it’s worth every bit of its $50 price tag. Drink it now for a bold muscley experience, or ten years from now for a fruit forward jam sandwich.
