Pinotage from South Africa - discover the cult wine now

Pinotage is the national grape of South Africa with an unmistakable character

Pinotage from South Africa - discover the cult wine now: This unique red wine variety is a true flagship of South African viticulture. Pinotage impresses with its intense colour, strong structure and aromas ranging from dark berries to spicy notes and fine roasted aromas. No wonder it has long since achieved cult status and has won over wine lovers worldwide. Discover the diversity of this exceptional wine, which epitomises the South African terroir like no other. Browse through our large selection and try a Pinotage tasting package, for example.

More about Pinotage

What makes Pinotage, the cult wine from South Africa, so special? Discover it now!

Discover Pinotage from South Africa - the cult wine that delights with its unique combination of finesse, fruit and flavour. Be inspired by this special red wine and enjoy a piece of South African wine culture.

Profile of the grape variety

Pinotage is a typical example of a New World wine. The grape stands for wines with a dense structure, lots of sweet fruit and a high alcohol content. Ripe tannins, an intense flavour and a velvety texture are further characteristics of this red wine. Pure Pinotage wines are dark red in colour, round and soft in taste.

Fruit★★★★

Body★★★★★

Tannin★★★★

Acidity★★★★

Alcohol★★★★★

Typical flavours

Flavours of red and dark fruits as well as tobacco make a good Pinotage wine a balanced and complex pleasure. Coming from cooler growing regions, Pinotage has more notes of sweet and black cherries, while warmer regions produce red wines with flavours of fig, blackberry, banana and tropical fruits.

Dominant notes:

- Black cherry
- blackberry
- fig
- menthol
- Pot roast

Possible notes:

- Herbs/flowers: roasted pepper, violet, menthol, mint, eucalyptus, black liquorice, rooibos
- Red fruit: cherry, cherry syrup
- Dark fruit: black cherry, blackcurrant, plum sauce, blackberry
- Earth/other: Tar, sweet and sour sauce, camphor millet, braised meat, cured meat
- Stored in oak: grey bread, wood smoke, barbecue smoke, tobacco

Pinotage harmonises with the following dishes

The fruity Pinotage wines are rather powerful and therefore harmonise perfectly with dark meat and game dishes.

The history of Pinotage

The Pinotage grape variety is of particular importance for South Africa. It is the only country outside of Europe to have its own indigenous grape variety, Pinotage. Pinotage is therefore the national grape and cult wine from South Africa and its contribution to the world's wine history. So it is hardly surprising that it is the most widely planted red wine grape in South Africa.

The story of Pinotage begins in 1925 in the garden of Professor Abraham Izak Perold, who was teaching at Stellenbosch University at the time and wanted to breed a grape that could cope well with the South African climate and whose wine was similar in flavour to Pinot Noir. Pinotage was ultimately created from a cross between Cinsaut (then called "Hermitage") and Pinot Noir and had the sweetness and berry flavour of Pinot Noir and the fruitiness of Cinsaut.

The newly developed indigenous grape variety was first cultivated by winegrowers in South Africa in the 1940s near Elsenburg. The first commercial plantings in South Africa took place in 1943, and the wine only came onto the market under the name Pinotage at the beginning of the 1960s, but did not have a good reputation at the time due to its simple and rustic character. Very high-class Pinotages were not produced until the end of the 20th century.

Even today, the Pinotage grape is still mainly cultivated in South Africa on around 7000 hectares. Pinotage prefers dry and very warm wine-growing regions and loves slopes that store water well. As Pinotage is dependent on a hot climate, outside of South Africa it is only found in small growing areas in Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, where its share of vineyards is very small. Smaller Pinotage vineyards can also be found in California, Canada, Brazil and Israel.

If the climate zone is right, the vines with the small, dark blue grapes are quite easy to cultivate and produce a high yield of up to 120 hectolitres of wine per hectare. The yield is limited for exclusive wines. Vines that are more than ten years old only produce half the yield anyway.

Traditionally, Pinotage is a single-varietal, full-bodied red wine. More recently, it has also been increasingly blended with Shiraz, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon to create cuvées. If a Pinotage is matured in wooden barrels, it has flavours of smoke, mocha, spices, chocolate and vanilla. A special rosé wine is also produced from the grape.