New Pinotage guide launched

Red is the colour of the new republic.

The Pinotage Assocation in conjunction with main sponsor Absa has launched a new booklet promoting the variety called South Africa’s Pinotage Wine Guide 1995 – 2011.

The booklet contains much background information about the variety but at its core is the Top 20 Pinotage Classification 2011. The Pinotage Association was founded in 1995 and the first ever Pinotage Top 10 Competition was held in 1997 – the results of the first 15 years of the competition have been combined in determining the most successful  Pinotage producers in that time.

These are:

Top 10
Beyerskloof
De Waal
Kanonkop
L’Avenir
Rijk’s Private Cellar
Simonsig
Spier
Stellenzicht
Wellington
Windmeul

The rest (a further 12 on the basis of three tying for 20^th place in the rankings)
Altydgedacht
Anura
Clos Malverne
Fairview
Kaapzicht
KWV
Laibach
Longridge
Lyngrove
Môreson
Schalk Burgers & Sons
Tukulu

8 000 copies of the booklet have been printed and it is available from the Pinotage Association free of charge. Speaking at the launch function, Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof announced that Absa would continue to sponsor the Assocaition to the tune of “a few million rand”, the previous deal having run from 2007 until last year and worth a R1 million a year.