Drinking for one's country 1 November 2007

The Pinotage Top Ten for 2007 have been announced. Tim James was at the
awards ceremony

At a typically warm-hearted, well-organised, lengthy and occasionally eccentric affair in Cape Town yesterday, the Pinotage Assocation and their sponsors Absa made their annual Top Ten awards. There seems always an air of patriotism surrounding pinotage when its devotees gather, and of fierce and affectionate pride in the grape’s local, er, roots. On this occasion, it meant amongst other things the presence of the Western Cape’s Minister of Agriculture, a good deal of Afrikaans being spoken from the platform (usually along with translations into English specifically for the French people that it was announced were in the audience), quite a few references to certain recent rugby matches, and the rare sight at a wine function of a black master of ceremonies (an eloquent, quick-witted mistress in this case, who was never introduced to the audience but who was apparently known to those who watch television, which doesn’t include the present writer).

The feeling of a genuine culture that makes the Pinotage Top Ten Awards function so different (engagingly and occasionally a little tediously so) from the anglophone blandness that characterises most wine functions also means that grace is said before lunch. This year the prayer seemed more of a praise poem to pinotage than to any deity, delivered (and presumably written) by good-natured wine fundi Dave Hughes in cadences that would have done honour to William McGonegal, the Victorian Scot renowned as the world’s best bad poet; it had a few irreverent members of the audience nearly spoiling with guffaws the solemnity involved in praising God and his Chosen Grape.

Another poem about pinotage, by High Priest Beyers Truter, was quoted by its author in his speech, or sermon, preceding the awards. His argument was that making pinotage is an art that has developed well in response to the international demands that followed the opening up of the world’s markets to South African wine after 1994. Pinotage has now, he suggested, reached an exciting stage in that it is at a level of acceptable quality (having played around enough with ‘blockbusterism’), from which it can move forward to higher things. Pinotage is, Truter insists, a genuine USP (unique selling point) for South African wine, and to be welcomed as such. It has an ability to age well, says Truter; it demonstrates great versatility in the styles it can make (he very fairly mentioned the excellent rosés made from pinotage, though none were amongst the line-up on the day); and, he argued at length though perhaps a little more passionately than convincingly, it is a particularly health-giving variety.

The wines that were shown to the audience in a tasting beforehand – the top twenty scorers, out of which the top ten had been selected for the awards – seemed to illustrate Truter’s point about a new level of sophistication and quality, judging by the reactions to them of a few blasé wine writers who would not be numbered amongst the most faithful of the worshippers of the grape. While there was certainly plenty of wood in evidence, and some substantial tannins, and even a few subtle hints of bitterness, this was good modern pinotage, generally not over-extracted or over-wooded, with ripe but seldom over-ripe fruit, good and clear fruit character without a reliance on facile fruitiness; there were few hints of the bitterness that sometimes announces the presence of pinotage in one’s glass.

The most notable general problem among the wines on offer was one to which winemaker and competition judge Charles Hopkins alluded in his opening remarks (and this willingness to admit problems is yet another sign of growing maturity and sophistication in the Pinotage Association, surely): ultra-high alcohols. Eight of the 20 wines tasted had alcohol levels over 15 per cent, and few were under 14. In many cases it was evidenced in a hot finish, and also meant that even some wines which were well balanced despite the high alcohols, and which showed well when swirled, sipped and spat, did not encourage much quaffing when they were tried again with lunch. As Hopkins pointed out, European winedrinkers are increasingly turning away from such high alcohol wines, and pinotage producers must confront the issue. But, on the whole, this was welcomed as a good outing for pinotage.

The judges of this year’s competition were Duimpie Bayly (convener), Charles Hopkins, Chris Roux, Dave Hughes, Neil Pendock, Michelle Cherutti-Kowal (wine lecturer in England) and Julian Brind MW (England).

The Top Ten wines for 2007 were, in alphabetical order, the following (with first-time winners marked with an asterisk):

• Bon Courage Pinotage 2006*

• Fantail Pinotage 2006* (from Morgenhof)

• Fleur du Cap Pinotage 2005*

• Four Paws Pinotage 2006*

• Marianne Pinotage 2004*

• Môreson Pinotage 2006

• Pulpit Rock Pinotage 2005

• Simonsig Red Hill Pinotage 2005

• Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage 2006

• Windmeul Reserve Pinotage 2006*

• Link to the South African Pinotage Association website