Pinotage: Love it or Hate it
The ‘Pinotage debate’ always seems to leave me disillusioned. I can’t really understand why the debate is perpetuated, and can only conclude that poor Pinotage is a wine variety that people love to hate.
To me it is quite simple. Pinotage is a wine variety like any other. It has its own unique characteristics, that some people enjoy and others do not. Depending on the ability of the producer, Pinotage may represent wines of great distinction or they may be rather average.
My advice is to try a few Pinotage labels, either you will like it or you won’t. If you don’t, then simply select something else off the wine list.
As I said you either love it or hate it. Me? I love it!
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
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Comments
Hi Dale!
You sound sold on Diemersfontein Pinotage, not surprising I suppose 
Thanks for the tip… the Diemersfontein Pinotage Festival is always a big hit on the SA wine calendar!
Brandon Marc
Brandon, am I correct in saying that the pinotage varietal originates only from South Africa, but is also grown elsewhere around the world?
Yes, Pinotage is a hybrid varietal of the Pinot noir and the Cinsaut (Hermitage) varietals, unique to South Africa. It is possible that Pinotage is grown outside of South Africa, but almost unheard of. I believe Pinotage is grown in small quantities in California and New Zealand…
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
Ohhh, c’mon Brandon!!!!
Pinotage is not a hybrid. It is a cross.
Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Gamay and many others are crosses.
It is not ‘possible’ that Pinotage is grown outside of South Africa, it is definite. Pinotage is currently grown and made commercially in New Zealand, Canada, California, Brazil, Virginia, Oregon, Israel and grown elsewhere. See http://www.pinotage.org for information and even videos of Virginia and NZ Pinotage wineries
Well, who’s to argue with the Pinotage master himself 
However, in biochemistry a hybrid is the result of a cross between two genetically dissimilar parents. Surely this is an acceptabe definition of the Pinotage variety? It’s just semantics I guess…
Cheers!
Brandon Marc
In viticulture hybrid and cross have precise meanings.
Hybrid is used to mean a cross between different vine species, while cross is used for the result of sexual reproduction between different varieties of the same species.
I think, in SA, you don’t grow hybrids for wine although you do for rootstock, but in some parts of the world, especially North America, hybrids are grown for wine. They are the results of breeding between native American grape species and vinifera.
Since few wine lovers accept that it is possible to make fine wine from hybrids, and they’re generally illegal to grow in the EU, calling a vine a hybrid is considered derogatory. You are saying that it is not and never can be used to make a quality wine.
Thus calling Pinotage a hybrid — considering the very criticisms of the variety your article above touches on — is derogatory.
Not a fan of Pinotage? Diemersfontein Pinotage 2006/7/8 will change your life…chocolate, coffee. If you don’t like it, send me the rest of it. PS for those of you in SA, they have this delicious wine on tap later during the year “Pinotage on Tap” so check it out.