Wine of the Month
By Melanie Kriel
T
his month’s choice wine has been
a favourite of mine for some time.
It is the Beyerskloof Pinotage Reserve (in particular, the 2012 vintage).
A bit of history:
In 1988 one of the Cape’s most foremost
wine makers, Beyers Truter of Kanonkop
Estate, formed a partnership with four
ardent wine lovers in Johannesburg with
the aim to produce a wine of exceptional
character.
After exploring the Cape Winelands for a
suitable location they found a perfectly
situated farm in the Koelenhof area within
the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin region.
The farm’s original name was
Nooitgedacht, which for five generations
belonged to the Beyers family before Jan
Andries Beyers sold it in 1895. Beyers
Truter is a direct descendent of Jan Beyers,
thus making him the sixth generation to
farm this land.
This piece of land could only have one
name – BEYERSKLOOF
The wine:
The Beyerskloof wines have always had a
strong presence in our household. In fact,
a good friend had introduced me to the
Pinotage Reserve over an unforgettable
lamb shank main course at one of their
regular casual house parties. I will never
forget how I was taken aback when I took
the first sip. It was actually, quite dramatic: the wine that came from the rather
understated bottle had a rich spicy, yet
fruity aroma. I often find that with pinotage variety wines, the taste disappears
quickly when combining with red meats,
but the Beyerskloof Pinotage Reserve seemed to linger with the
combination of the shanks we had paired it with that particular
evening.
Usually I am happy to see the end of winter nearing, but because
this wine is just so good in winter, I am finding it a little more
difficult this year to say goodbye. The Pinotage is probably too
heavy for summer in my opinion, but nevertheless, I will give it a
shot.
The Pinotage Reserve pairs nicely with meaty dishes, but particularly I find with lamb, and spicy delicacies. According to the
winemaker this wine will develop nicely over 10 years. Enjoy!