PINOTAGE, Pinotage, Pinotage… At the Truter family's Beyerskloof Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, they call themselves “The Home of Pinotage”, and for good reason. On the winelist, the number of different expressions by the bottle or by the glass stands at nine – more if you add the Pinotage-led Cape Blends. And on the food menu, South Africa's signature red wine variety is woven into a growing number of dishes.
At the Red Leaf Bistro alongside the wine tasting room at Beyerskloof, following the introduction of their Pinotage Burger some years ago, the specialities have increased to include Pinotage pasta, Pinotage pizza and Pinotage ice cream. There's the Oxtail Ravioli, i.e. oxtail-filled pasta served with Pinotage, portobello mushrooms and bacon jus. Then there's the wood-fired pizza with toppings comprising Pinotage salami, brie, caramelised onions and chilli. The Pinotage Burger features caramelised Pinotage onion reduction and cheddar cheese. And for dessert, Pinotage Gelato, served with mixed berries, berry compote and cream.
Beyerskloof might not have been the first to plant Pinotage vines, nor was it among the first wine farms to put Pinotage on the market a couple of generations back but, come the 21st century, there's no other winery that specialises in Pinotage to the same degree. This is home to several of the top-rated wines in their class, one of the top-selling bargain-priced offerings, a white blend of Chenin and Pinotage, a rosé, a port-style fortified wine and even a Cap Classique bubbly from Pinotage.
Sitting on the deck of the bistro, taking in views of the family's Kriekbult farm to the left and the Simonsberg right and centre, choosing a Pinotage dish for lunch and sipping on a glass of red, white, sweet or sparkling Pinotage… This is perhaps as close as you can get to being totally immersed in it.
