WINETECH Technical Yearbook 2020

Pinotage ripening – an overview

MARCH 2020

ETTIENE TERBLANCHE: Vinpro, Paarl KEYWORDS: Pinotage, grape ripening

The aim of this compact overview of existing technical information is to create context for forthcoming articles discussing the impact of grape ripening on wine composition and potential wine styles of Pinotage. INTRODUCTION Pinotage was developed by Prof. A.I. Perold of the University of Stellenbosch in 1925, when he successfully crossed Pinot noir and Cinsaut. Since its development and commercialisation in the 1950s, Pinotage has seen a steady acceptance by the South African wine industry and by 1979 there were 660 639 Pinotage vines planted in the Cape. Demand for the variety increased when wine export sanctions were lifted in 1994, paving the way for a unique South African offering. Currently, there are 20 814 088 Pinotage vines planted in South Africa, amounting to 6 979 ha of vineyard, thereby ranking 3rd with regard to total

vineyard area planted to red varieties (1st Cabernet Sauvignon – 10 360 ha and 2nd Shiraz/Syrah – 9 735 ha) (SAWIS, 2017). Plantings have also spread across the world as recognition of Pinotage wine quality has grown. Pinotage can now be found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States of America (OIV, 2017). Yet, despite the recent popularity of Pinotage, varietal- specific information is sparse and limited to a handful of publications. VITICULTURE Cultivation Plant material in the form of clones with specific attributes linking to specific product ions goal s has become an important part of modern viticulture. In a comparative study (Kriel, 1983), seven clonal selections (grafted to Jacquez rootstock) were evaluated (1970-1981) on the basis of shoot mass, sugar content, acid

Harvesting of Pinotage grapes, Welgevallen Experimental Farm, Stellenbosch University.

WINETECH TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2020 126