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Pinotage

Pinotage Wine Details
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Description: The Pinotage grape, developed at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault varieties. Grayhaven's Pinotage is a specialty of general manager and assistant winemaker Deon Abrams, who hails from the sunny coast of Cape Town, SA. This spicy, peppery, medium-bodied red with cherry notes pairs well with steak, lamb, marinara based pasta and other Italian dishes.

Varietal Definition
Pinotage:
Grape widely grown and successful in South Africa. Derived from the crossing of a Pinot Noir clone and Cinsaut. Used to make a popular, hearty red wine that ages well - (and often requires it). Also found widely grown in New Zealand and in smaller acreages in California.
Pinot Noir:
The name is derived from the French words for ‘pine’ and ‘black’ alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. By volume most Pinot Noir in America is grown in California with Oregon coming in second. Other regions are Washington State and New York.During 2004 and the beginning of 2005, Pinot Noir became considerably more popular amongst consumers in the United States, possibly because of the movie Sideways. Being lighter in style, it has benefited from a trend toward more restrained, less alcoholic wines. It is the delicate, subtle, complex and elegant nature of this wine that encourages growers and winemakers to cultivate this difficult grape. Robert Parker has described Pinot Noir: "When it's great, Pinot Noir produces the most complex, hedonistic, and remarkably thrilling red wine in the world."


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