I came across this awesome grape a while back and was pretty intrigued. It's called pinotage. Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? This is THE grape from South Africa. It has some pretty cool parents, too. Maybe you've heard of them? Pinot Noir and Cinsault. 

So where does the name Pinotage come from? Should it be Pinosaut? Actually in South Africa Cinsault was known as Hermitage. So the name makes perfect sense. So the flavors of this beautiful grape are described as earthy, smokey, brambly, and sometimes even tropical fruits. Those are all things I love. So I guarantee I'd love it. Sadly, I don't see it much, if ever, around here.

One of the best things about Pinotage, and actually why it was born in the first place, is that it's easier to grow. More robust. Unlike its parent, Pinot Noir. So that's a good thing. Robustness and ease of growing is a great thing right? 

But it has problems, too. Some wine critics are turned off by the smell sometimes. They say it can smell like paint? Bizarre. But at the same time I wouldn't necessarily say that's a bad thing, right? I mean, I've heard wines described in all kinds of crazy ways. Including cat pee for sauvignon blanc. That sounds worse than paint to me. Another criticism is that the flavors don't come across as a French grape, even though the parents are both very French. 

I kind of like the fact that it is criticized like this. It makes me think it's onto something. Give it some time to catch on and be planted more and I can see this grape gaining popularity. Right now, it's mainly planted in South Africa of course, and also a little bit in the US and New Zealand. It's planted in other areas too, like Canada, Brazil! and Zimbabwe! Wow! I did not expect those last two. 

I searched in my area online and didn't see a ton of options. There are some. But I think we need more. What do you think? A little Pinotage sounds pretty awesome right about now. Have you ever had Pinotage? Or can recommend any? I'd definitely be interested to hear about. Until then, cheers!


Show notes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinotage