Wine Myths and Reality by Benjamin Lewin MW

Author:Benjamin Lewin MW [Lewin MW, Benjamin]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Vendange Press
Published: 2015-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon dominate plantings of named varieties. These varieties are about 63% of all plantings.[105]

The variety was appealing because it ripened early and achieved high sugar levels. But initially the wines often showed notes of acetone (nail polish remover); this was partly responsible for its poor reputation. The cause has been ascribed to both viticulture (when the vines are cultivated under high temperature and water stress) and vinification (using too high temperatures for fermentation), but it is fair to say that although it discouraged many early consumers, it is not now usually a problem. Pinotage can be made in fresh and fruity styles for early drinking, or given exposure to oak to become a more serious wine, but perhaps the most significant fact is that nowhere do you find any claim for its typicity. There’s no core style for Pinotage akin to that for its Pinot Noir parent.

Pinotage remains controversial in South Africa, with some producers advocating it, but others embarrassed by it. “Astringency and bitterness are two of the inherent risks in making Pinotage,” says Seymour Pritchard, a Pinotage enthusiast who owns Clos Malverne.[106] It’s most often vinified as a single varietal, and although there are some interesting wines, they are in a small minority. My own view of Pinotage is somewhat akin to Dr. Johnson’s view of the dog walking on hind legs: “It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.” When I encounter a good example of Pinotage, after an initial reaction of relief, I am left with a suspicion that probably a better wine could have been made by planting the vineyard with another variety.

Pinotage is sometimes used as the basis for the “Cape Blend,” which is as controversial as the varietal itself. Attempts to define a varietal composition for the blend proposed that it should be based on Pinotage, with a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70%. But it was impossible to reach agreement, and the only defining characteristic of Cape Blend is that it is a red wine coming from the Cape Region.[107] As a practical matter, however, most Cape Blends do contain some Pinotage.

One ongoing controversy is whether and why South African wines have a “peculiar, savage, burnt rubber and dirt odor,” according to British journalist Jane MacQuitty[108] Not everyone finds the same offensive quality; other critics refer to smoky, earthy, or sometimes tarry aromas. WOSA (the industry body Wines of South Africa) took the criticism seriously enough to establish a commission to investigate; it reported that a small number of wines do have an aroma that can be recognized as burned rubber, but there is no other common feature to these wines. Probably the odor simply results from poor winemaking allowing accumulation of sulfur compounds.[109]

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