The Pinotage Party – Make that the Shiraz-Pinotage Party

I was so excited to sign up the Terroirists for the Pinotage Party. The idea was to have a collection of blogs review a Pinotage on this day, February 12. The result was less than ideal, but we did what we could. In the end, this demonstrates how hard so many Americans have it as far as wine availability. Hopefully this will one day change, but until then, the closest thing to Pinotage in Walla Walla is buying a Pinot Noir and a Cinsault and blending them.

Living in Walla Walla can sometimes pose great difficulty in finding wines which are not made in Washington. I figured we’d go to the local restaurant with typically the best import selection and have a few bottles to choose from. This was not the case – not only is there not a single Pinotage in the place, but there are a whopping total of two wines from South Africa.

Devastated, we proceeded to check the local grocery stores as Walla Walla lacks a true bottle shop. Despite our best efforts, but no thanks to my serious lack of appreciation for the horrible Walla Walla selection, we ended up going with the closest thing to Pinotage available in Walla. 42% Pinotage is better than nothing, I suppose.

The other 58% is Syrah – but the worst is yet to come. This wine, which has the highest Pinotage percentage of any wine in Walla Walla, is a bottom shelf grocery store wine. That brings me to the star of the night, the 2007 Sebeka Shiraz-Pinotage from South Africa. Actually, this wine isn’t half-bad, but the utter disappointment in my town has led me to think strongly about my morality.

Back to the wine; it has a somewhat jammy nose, and it mostly lacks the South African funk that is so common in wines from the cape. There’s a slight underlying note of rubber – also known as the famous Pinotage tar or burnt rubber aroma. Almost slightly sweet, it’s a non-offensive wine with a somewhat offensive finish. Ultimately, it just can’t be used to represent Pinotage in any form, and I apologize for a lack of planning. The next time I’m in Seattle or Portland I will make a point of finding a true Pinotage and basking it in its deserved glory.