Cape Wine 2012 is proving to be a stonking wine show. There’s been lots of opinion, information and astonishingly good wine that’s making me look at the country with fresh eyes. Chenin Blanc, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignons and great blends are leading to many 18.5 and 19 out of 20 scores. And I am a miserly marker.
But there’s always a but. The country’s native red variety, Pinotage, still suffers from a poor image. I am no fan of Pinotage but I’m always ready to have my mind changed so I went along to the Pinotage Then and Now seminar.
I came wanting to make peace with Pinotage but left feeling belligerent.
The title ‘Then and Now’ was in reference to the wines that went as far back as the 1960’s to examples from as recently as the 2009 vintage. However, the content of the seminar was mostly ‘Then’ and not ‘Now.’
The seminar ended up being a trip down memory lane for the speakers. The attendees are now well versed on winemakers’ anecdotal stories from the 1970’s and the compatability of Pinotage with eggs.
I was the one person who dared ask a question and that didn’t go down well. I wanted to know what they were doing about the perception of Pinotage. Let’s face it, a lot of people say they don’t like it and it is dogged by a negative image.
I was told by one speaker he “didn’t even want to talk about a love-hate relationship” and that Pinotage was “past that.” Clearly, I had hit a nerve and we were told the USA, Scandinavian and Benelux countries loved it. A Swedish wine writer in front of me looked quizzically at me when that was said and a very well-known New York blogger retorted: “It’s very polarizing. They are completely in denial.”
While Bottled exports reached 8.3m litres in 2011, the industry’s figures also show the variety ain’t flavour of the month showing a 1.1% decline annually since 2007.
The whole seminar was an exercise in self-aggrandizement, patting themselves on the back for making great Pinotage and telling stories of the past. What about the future?
Pinotage has a serious image problem and they had a room full of international trade and media. This was an opportunity to discuss the issue and offer some solutions. What a wasted opportunity.
Kanonkop’s Abrie Beeslaar and Frans Smit of Spier took me to task after the seminar, keen to explain Pinotage had “got its act together” and that my view was UK-biased. That’s not what I was hearing around the room from others who weren’t keen to stick their necks out. Maybe it has got its act together but the perception problem is still there. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending there is no issue won’t solve it.
