Sniff-sniff, sip-sip as wine show brings rich pickings to PE

EASTERN Cape wine lovers are bracing themselves for a weekend of sniffing, swirling and sipping (with a hint of genteel spitting and perhaps a little civilised shoving) as The Wine Show makes its annual visit to the Bay.

The Boardwalk Convention Centre will be awash with 300-odd wines for tasting and buying from more than 60 estates, along with interactive Wine Extra Theatre sessions pairing wine with cupcakes, chocolate, biltong and olive oil.

One of the more unusual offerings among the host of big names, boutique estates, new labels and seasoned award-winners is a white pinotage made by small family-run winery Mellasat, in Paarl.

Owner-winemaker Stephen Richardson says it's a world first, made in a similar way to how French Champagne producers make a white base wine from red grapes like pinot noir and blend it with chardonnay, except that this is 100% pinotage. (pinotage king Beyerskloof does make a "white pinotage", but it's a chenin blanc with a dollop of pinotage. The result is white rather than rosé.)

Richardson says the poor examples of pinotage that put consumers off South Africa's home-grown grape are usually the result of poor attention to maceration, the step in wine-making where the juice remains in contact with the skins to give it its red colour.

"My intention is to remove the juice away from the skins as soon as possible," he said.

The result earns a "very good/promising" 3 ½ stars from Platter's for a wine that is "fruity and spicy, full-flavoured and creamy".

It has also earned two "commended" awards at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Brought up in the UK on European wines, Richardson said as a result he tended to make wines "in a more complex, integrated style rather than a typical new-world fruit bomb".

Mellasat will have its other wines on show too and recommends trying the red Tempranillo, a Spanish varietal not well known in South Africa, as well as their Viognier, their premium "M" red blend and easy-drinking Dekker's Valley range.

The Wine Show runs from Thursday, July 31 to Saturday, August 2. Tickets are available at Computicket – and don't miss the opportunity to win tickets in today's Weekend Post.

- A Vine Time, with Sam Venter