THE PINOTAGE Association’s competition for ‘pink’ wines made from South Africa’s Pinot Noir Cinsault cross was introduced fairly recently, yet already many Pinotage producers are trying their hand at it, if not perfecting the craft. Wine lovers might well wonder when certain champions of the variety including Kanonkop of Stellenbosch and Rijk’s of Tulbagh will enter the fray, so to speak, although Beyerskloof (Stellenbosch) have put their hand up on a couple of occasions, and Windmeul of Paarl have proved to be among the most successful entrants in the competition to date. In 2023, the team at Windmeul recorded their third win, while Landskroon (also of Paarl) and Rooiberg (Robertson) both came top for the fourth time – and with wines all priced at under R100pb!

For more about the Pinotage Rosé Awards, click here.

Rosé Competition Winners

DU TOITSKLOOF PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2023
WO Western Cape. Grapes picked at optimum physiological ripeness. After de-stemming and crushing, the mash was cold-soaked at 12°C for eight hours, then settled for 24 hours, followed by 18 days fermentation before fining, cold-stabilisation, filtration and bottling.
ALC 13.1 | RS 5.5 | TA 6.4 | pH 3.3
Winemaker Shawn Thomson’s Tasting Notes: “Medium pink in colour with raspberry, strawberry, red berry and tart cherry flavours that carry through to a perfectly-balanced palate.”
R75pb ex-cellar, Rawsonville.

LANDSKROON BLANC DE NOIR PINOTAGE OFF DRY 2023
WO Paarl. Off-dry pink wine.
ALC 15.5 | RS 3.3 | TA 6.2 | pH 3.4
Winemaker Fanie Geyser’s Tasting Notes: “Strawberry and raspberry on the nose. Follows through on the palate with a fresh, balanced acidity. It is the perfect glass at almost any time. Excellent with food: ceviche, gravlax, sashimi, smoked chicken breast or angelgish.”
R80pb ex-cellar, Paarl.

MAASTRICHT PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2023
WO Cape Town. Grapes machine-harvested in the early morning hours, so that the grapes are cool when they arrive in the cellar. After crushing and de-stemming, the grapes were lightly pressed. The juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks using various combinations of yeast strains. After fermentation the wine was left on the lees (spent yeast) for a minimum of two months.
ALC 13.1 | RS 3.3 | TA 5.6 | pH 3.5
Winemaker Thys Louw’s Tasting Notes: “Beautiful salmon-coloured Rosé with notes of pomegranate and cranberry, with nuances of candy floss and floral notes adding to the complexity of this wine.”
R95pb ex-cellar, Durbanville.

ROOIBERG PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2023
WO Robertson. Grapes hand-harvested as early as possible. Cold-soaking for a few hours in a roto tank ensured good contact between juice and skins. The juice was then removed from the skins and fermented cold in a stainless-steel tank.
ALC 15.5 | RS 3.3 | TA 6.2 | pH 3.4
Winemaker André Scriven’s Tasting Notes: “Fresh, fruity young Rosé. Floral bouquet with well-balanced berry and red cherry flavours which linger on the palate.”
R69pb ex-cellar, Robertson.

WINDMEUL PINOTAGE ROSÉ 2023
WO Coastal Region (Agter-Paarl). Grapes hand-harvested. Minimal skin contact took place, and only the free-run juice was used. The wine was fermented in stainless-steel tanks, and after fermentation it was stabilised before being bottled.
ALD 13.7 | RS 2.6 | TA 5.7 | pH 3.5
Winemakers Michael Kotzé and Abraham van Heerden’s Tasting Notes: “Fresh, fruit-driven… This pale, salmon-coloured wine shows a good concentration of strawberries, raspberries and passionfruit. The well-balanced, dry palate is jam-packed with red berry flavours and leaves you with a long, fruity finish. The perfect wine for a hot summer’s day.”
R70pb ex-cellar, Paarl.