From Forgotten Vines to South Africa’s Signature Grape

Blog Series: Pinotage at 100 – South Africa’s Homegrown Grape Reimagined

Intro

The story of Pinotage is as unlikely as it is inspiring. One forgotten garden. Four rescued vines. A grape born of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. This week, we go back to the beginning—to the very roots of South Africa’s most emblematic varietal.

An Accidental Beginning

In 1924, Professor Abraham Izak Perold, South Africa’s first professor of viticulture, crossed two grape varieties at Stellenbosch University: Pinot Noir, the elegant and famously finicky French classic, and Cinsaut (then known in South Africa as Hermitage), a robust, heat-tolerant southern Rhône grape. Perold’s motivations were never fully recorded, but many speculate he hoped to combine the finesse of Pinot Noir with the resilience and yield of Cinsaut—an ideal formula for South Africa’s warm climate. He planted four experimental seeds in his garden at the Welgevallen Experimental Farm, but shortly thereafter left the university for a post at KWV in Paarl. For nearly a decade, the seedlings sat untended. In 1935, that small garden—overgrown and overlooked—was scheduled for clearing. It was only through the quick thinking of Charlie Niehaus, a young lecturer at the university, that the seedlings were rescued from destruction. He transplanted them to Elsenburg Agricultural College, where they were grafted and propagated.

The First Wines

By 1941, one of Perold’s seedlings had matured enough to produce wine. That first Pinotage bottling came from Charl Theron (CT) de Waal, a member of the same de Waal family that would go on to plant one of the grape’s most iconic vineyards at Uiterwyk (now De Waal Wines). The 1940s and 50s were years of experimentation. Early Pinotage wines were rustic, volatile, and highly variable—products of a young industry learning how to handle a new grape with unfamiliar traits. Pinotage, with its rapid fermentation and thick skins, proved technically challenging in an era without modern cellar controls. But then, a breakthrough.

The Lanzerac Moment

In 1959, a Pinotage wine from Pieter (PK) Morkel’s Bellevue estate stunned the South African wine world by winning the General Jan Smuts Trophy at the Cape Young Wine Show—the country’s most prestigious wine competition. It was the first sign that this little-known varietal could produce something truly special. The wine was released under the Lanzerac label by the Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery in 1961, becoming the first commercially available Pinotage. That same year, a wine made from Kanonkop fruit also won the Jan Smuts Trophy, reinforcing the belief that Pinotage had potential beyond local blends and experimental batches.

From Hope to Harsh Critique

But as the 1970s rolled in, Pinotage’s trajectory faltered. Bulk production became the norm, with many co-ops and large producers prioritizing volume over quality. Without careful handling, Pinotage’s quick ferment and high phenolics could lead to off-putting aromas—nail polish remover, rubber, or burnt tar. These flaws weren’t inherent to the grape, but rather a consequence of rough cellar techniques and the absence of temperature control. This was the Pinotage the international press encountered. And it wasn’t impressed. Perhaps most famously, British wine critic Michael Broadbent MW dismissed the varietal as “hot and horrible.” Harsh words—but they mirrored a widespread perception of a grape that seemed out of step with global wine trends.

But the Story Wasn’t Over

Pinotage’s early years mirrored South Africa’s broader wine journey: ambitious, uneven, often isolated from the global stage. But just as the country’s wine industry was preparing for a new chapter, so too was Pinotage. It had found champions—quietly, persistently—who believed in its future.

Next week: Meet the winemakers who refused to give up. Learn how careful viticulture, minimal intervention, and a deeper understanding of the grape’s chemistry turned Pinotage from a punchline into a point of pride.