Wine Review - 2013 Beyerskloof Pinotage: Not So Nutty South African Red

This was a late in the show NSLC Port of Wines Festival selection. Palates were exhausted and there wasn't enough bread to bring it back. We knew we wanted to hit the South Africa table before we left and we wanted to find a Pinotage to take home. Well, mission accomplished with the Beyerskloof Pintoage ($18.49 locally). It still stood out with tired tongues but to be honest we weren't sure if we were gonna love it when we tried it. Well good news...

Pinotage tends to be a lighter coloured red wine and this one is about average though it has transparent edges which is an interesting effect. While not as thin as it's cousin Pinot Noir, there is definitely a clear structure to the wine.

We have found Pinotage to be nutty to the point of dark chocolate or even coffee.  This wine however is not as nutty as we might expect. There is a touch in there but this reads more like a Grenache with distinct notes of Cherry Twizzlers and vanilla in there.

The flavours of the wine are tangy with black currents as the dominant note.  There is a slightly sugary start to the wine which transitions to a dry mid-palate.  The finish is very,,,grapey, is the best way to describe it.  It is a nice mix of dark stone fruit and that hint of nuts that makes for a nice flavour profile.

	Tasting Notes:	Score:
Sight (0-5)	Lighter wine with bright red colours and transparent edges in the glass	4.0
Smell (0-5)	Light nuttiness is the key with Cherry Twizzlers and vanilla	4.0
Taste (0-10)	Black currents with a sugary start and dry mid-palate and grapey finish. Stone fruit and a hint of nuts make it a nice drinking wine	8.0
	Total:	16.0 / 20 (80%)

We love a good Pinotage and at less than $19 a bottle this one is good. You can pay a lot more for Pinotage but this one stands up as a nice drinking wine with or without food.

Keep on tasting!

Chris & Shannon