Trying wines made from unfamiliar grape varieties is one of the most enjoyable aspects of tastings for me. On a recent trip to South Africa, I sampled many examples of the country's local red, pinotage, and was surprised by the wide range of flavors and styles. One of the best was the 2008 Kanonkop Pinotage, with its rich, full taste; smoky aroma; dark, plummy mocha depths and unusual tangy wild note that somehow seemed to reflect the continent.

I didn't expect this level of quality from a red grape whose history extends back less than a century and whose wines have often been derided, even by South Africans, as very, very rustic. These days, some winemakers are making pinotage into fresh, fruity rosés, but I find the best are the purple-dark, swashbuckling, spice-and-cherry age-worthy reds.

The varietal is actually a 1925 cross between pinot noir and cinsualt, a workhorse grape from the Rhone that's usually buried in blends. Developed at the University of Stellenbosch, pinotage was widely adopted in the country's vineyards, and has been used for everything from sun-baked brandy material to industrial-strength reds. When South Africa's wine industry began modernizing, the grape had few fans. Detractors claimed the wines smelled like nail polish and had the flavors of an ashtray.

But like zinfandel, another powerful, brawny red that has to be treated seriously to produce a really good wine, pinotage needs coddling. That means using grapes from older vines, no over-extraction and careful oak aging. That's the regime for this wine at the historic 1910 Kanonkop estate, which nurtures 50-plus-year-old pinotage bush vines that are among the oldest in the country.

Kanonkop's lusty red is perfect for meat seared on the braai (outdoor grill to South Africans). Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar thinks it goes best with ostrich, springbok and duck, although to my taste a rare porterhouse is wild enough.

Elin McCoy is a wine and spirits columnist and author of "The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste."

Comment

smaller | bigger

Write the displayed characters

Post Now Preview

...

Hi Shae.. .
thanks for writing. Do look the Kanonkop up, and let me know what you think. Also try Southern Right, made by Anthony Hamilton Russell, who also owns Hamilton Russell winery, one of the most interesting pinot producers in South Africa. Elin

a guest , March 15, 2011

...

Elin - just had a South African tasting on the weekend with an average Pinotage. Wish we'd seen this one! Will have to look it up. Shae

a guest , March 15, 2011