Tasting notes · South Africa · Pinotage
2024 · South Africa · $17.49 · screw cap
8
Out of 10
I’m really enjoying my first glass of this wine. Compared to the Tempranillo I had last week, this is a much lighter wine, but still gives an incredible scent and a nice flavor. I was excited as this was the first wine in a while that didn’t give me trouble with scent and flavor.
My scorecard
Sight
Clear, deep ruby
Rim
Tight rim. Color goes almost all the way to the edge, indicating a young wine
Clarity
Clear
Scent
Peppery, leathery, smoky (more like campfire smoke), plum
Taste
Smoke, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla, plum
Tannins
Low
What I have above is my take, and yours may differ.
Missing Africa
I wanted to try a South African wine because I do miss my time in Africa, even though I spent it in East Africa. Perhaps I’ll consider going back and spending some time in the South. I need to really get myself psyched up for the long plane ride, however. The wines there were really nice, though I wish I’d had my training at Wine School of Philadelphia first, so I could better evaluate. Oh well. I can tell you that I liked the wines that I had there. There wasn’t a single one that wasn’t good. Well, maybe the one that the fly took a swim in. There are a lot of flies that try to come share your wine when you’re trying to have dinner at the lodge that’s in the middle of the game reserve.
Meet Pinotage
Pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa. Its parents are Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Pair it with smoky foods, barbecue, anything grilled. I could see this going well with grilled squash. Maybe sausage with just a little spice to it.
Pair it with
Barbecue · Anything grilled · Grilled squash · Lightly spiced sausage
What the label says vs. what I found
A burst of intense rich coffee and chocolate aromas with ripe nuances of mulberry, plum and Maraschino cherries.
My glass: Pepper, leather and campfire smoke on the nose, with plum. Smoke, blackberry, black cherry, vanilla and plum on the palate. No coffee or chocolate for me.
Where we agree: plum and dark cherry.
“I was Team Cork for a long time.”
Team cork?
A word on screw caps
This wine came with a screw cap. Don’t let that deter you, if you’re the type who thinks that corks are the only way to go. I can’t lie, I was Team Cork for a long time. I thought, mistakenly, that screw caps were reserved for cheap wine. Screw caps were a good solution to cork taint, which makes wine smell like a musty old basement, and became a hit in Australia and New Zealand in the early 2000s. Winemakers were looking for consistency in their wines, and screw caps provided this, as well as freshness.
Fun fact: screw caps don’t prevent wines from aging well.
The verdict
Back to the Barista Pinotage. This one is one I’ll buy again. I’d give this one an 8 out of 10 and I’ll put it on my favorite list so I can try it again.
Where to buy
I got this particular bottle at Fine Wine & Good Spirits in Media, PA, but since their website is down and I forget how much I paid, you can get it at Total Wine in Claymont, DE for $17.49. That is, when they have it back in stock.
That’s the Fox’s take.
Sip curious
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