BACKSBERG ESTATE CELLARS — PINOTAGE (Vintage 2014, Red) Country: South Africa Region: Coastal, Western Cape Grape: Pinotage
The Coastal Region was the birthplace of South Africa’s wine industry, forming a significant wine-producing area in the Western Cape that’s the heart of the industry. It accounts for nearly half of all the area under vine in the entire country. Backsberg has about 271 acres by the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains, close to Cape Town, a great area for growing grapes. This winery is one of only three in the world to gain Carbon Neutral status by sequestrating its carbon emissions.
The nectar of 100% Pinotage grapes grown in vineyards more than twenty years old, it is stored in oak barrels for twelve months after which the wine is filtered, blended and bottled.
On the nose, the wine shows lovely notes of ripe mulberry and sweet strawberry with just a touch of herbs that are mirrored in the flavors. The whole is wrapped in a juicy mouth-feel with supple sweet tannins.
Your bottle of lively red Backsberg Estate Cellars’ Pinotage included in this month’s shipment from your favorite Wine of the Month Club is ready to be enjoyed now. If you’d prefer to reserve it for use at a future event, rest assured that with proper cellaring it can age through 2016. Serve at room temperature with any lamb dishes, spicy food or Italian cuisine.
Backsberg Estate Cellar’s Pinotage:
PINOTAGE GRAPES — This grape produces wines that range from light and fruity (best consumed young), to heavy and tannic that develop well over time. A hybrid of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, Pinotage was created in South Africa in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University. This Backsberg specimen is a combination of Paarl and Wellington fruit, allowing successful brief cellaring of up to one year.
