We received an invitation from Meerendal to a celebration of Pinotage. Why?
Well, Pinotage turns 100 this year and there will be celebrations by the Pinotage Association
which the Meerendal team will be proud to host at Meerendal on the 9th, 10th and 12th of October
Well, Pinotage turns 100 this year and there will be celebrations by the Pinotage Association
which the Meerendal team will be proud to host at Meerendal on the 9th, 10th and 12th of October
Dr Abraham Perold made the first Pinotage vine by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault (aka Hermitage) vines in 1924
And the wonderfully historic Heritage block planted on Meerendal in 1955 is 70 years old this year,
planted with cuttings from Perold's original, made at Elsenburg in the early 1950s,
one of the four oldest Pinotage plantings in the Cape
planted with cuttings from Perold's original, made at Elsenburg in the early 1950s,
one of the four oldest Pinotage plantings in the Cape
We were also invited to taste the 2023 Single Vineyard Heritage Block Pinotage wine that was unveiled,
and it was very, very good
Cellarmaster Wade Roger Lund: “I believe that this historical block has a special place in the history of Pinotage
and the fact that these old blocks tend to promote the more elegant style of Pinotage is a bonus for me
It matches perfectly with my philosophy for the block and Meerendal in general,
softer and more refined texture and structure but still having a subtle hint of that rustic Pinotage vibe
that leads to a wine that I believe can move Pinotage forward on the global stage”
and it was very, very good
Cellarmaster Wade Roger Lund: “I believe that this historical block has a special place in the history of Pinotage
and the fact that these old blocks tend to promote the more elegant style of Pinotage is a bonus for me
It matches perfectly with my philosophy for the block and Meerendal in general,
softer and more refined texture and structure but still having a subtle hint of that rustic Pinotage vibe
that leads to a wine that I believe can move Pinotage forward on the global stage”
Past the restaurant ...
... to the Tasting room
Fine views of the Stellenbosch mountains over the vines
Always a warm welcome from Bennie Howard
The Tasting room
Winemaker Wade Roger-Lund chatting to Michael Fridjhon about the wines they are tasting
A window into the tank barrel cellar
Viticulturist Rosa Kruger with Winnie Bowman and Aletta Coertze
Wade greets people as they arrive
The view from the tasting room terrace of the site selected for the October Pinotage celebration
Beyers Truter, Cathy van Zyl and Elvina Snell Fortuin chat to Lynne
Beyers and Bennie greet
Wade Roger-Lund with Herman and Aletta Coertze, owners of Meerendal, and Michael Fridjhon
Winnie Bowman CWM, Cathy van Zyl MW and Bennie Howard CWM
Wine writers Joanne Gibson, Elvira Snell Fortuin, & Fiona MacDonald with Beyers Truter
Lynne and John with Bennie
We asked about this year's harvest and were told, "It's produced brilliant quality, so good, the wines are young but showing such potential"
Their viticulturist, Zach Moolman, said, "excellent. The previous harvest was not great; this one had perfect conditions and produced excellent quality,
especially the white grapes. No additions were necessary in the cellar"
Journalist Suzaan Potgieter, Wade Roger-Lund, Lucille Botha and Maryna Calow
Bennie Howard, Natasha de Villiers of Durbanville Wine Route, Wade Roger-Lund and Conrad Schutte, CEO of VINPRO
Bennie getting down to business, telling about the importance of their heritage block of Pinotage and its future
A tiny taste of the original 1954 Pinotage
The guests were treated to an exclusive guided tasting of this landmark release,
as well as the 2024 vintage which is still in the barrel
Dark red in colour, it still shows good wood and dark berry fruit on the nose
On the palate, smooth, with lots of mulberry and black cherry fruit
We were amazed and impressed that it still has so much concentration which lasted on the palate
We moved to the new Heritage barrel cellar
Siobhan Thompson of WOSA being given a taste of the 1954
and as it breathed, it opened out more
Wade told us how important the Heritage block is for Meerendal
Herman gave him carte blanche to do what was needed
The farm is now in transition to going organic
Organic pioneer Johan Reyneke has helped them and they are beginning to see the soils thrive
They are building a solar farm and are taking the farm off the grid as much as possible
The heritage vineyard is massive, and all the grapes go straight to barrel
Wade has now segmented the vineyard into blocks that produce different quality and characteristics
which he has had time to study over several previous vintages
He then vinifies the chosen blocks seperately with non commercial organic yeast,
in different barrels with different levels of toast, to get to the final Heritage blend
Journalists Joanne Gibson and Lucille Botha, writing, not recording
Wade is passionate about this project and was quite emotional about the release of the 2023
and to show us how well this has worked
"Pinotage King" Beyers Truter said it was a long time since he'd seen anyone this emotional about Pinotage
He loved it
Michael Fridjhon, Beyers Truter and Christian Eedes
Photographs of 1969 and 1970 Meerendal Pinotage on the wall by the barrel cellar
Something new and popular, a Pinotage Rosé
The reveal of the new vintage and its label
The new label is a close replica of the 1969 Meerendal Pinotage label, in the same font and colours
It was unveiled ceremoniously by Herman and Aletta Coertze, owners of Meerendal,
and Wade Roger-Lund at the start of the tasting, with the 2023 vintage bottle next to a recently recorked 1969 bottle
The 1969, Meerendal's first commercially released Pinotage
70 year old Meerendal Heritage block Pinotage vines just before harvest
(Photograph supplied by Meerendal)
and the newly released Meerendal 2023 Pinotage; they copied the original label design
On the nose, perfume of violets and roses, musk and sandalwood
Full on the palate, it opens in layer after layer of beautiful fruit;
On the nose, perfume of violets and roses, musk and sandalwood
Full on the palate, it opens in layer after layer of beautiful fruit;
smooth and silky, cherry, wood, mulberry, minerality,
dark licorice wood with a hint of naartjie on the end
No metalic flavours at all. A great success
dark licorice wood with a hint of naartjie on the end
No metalic flavours at all. A great success
Beyers Truter with Herman and Aletta Coertze, tasting the new Meerendal 2023 Pinotage
The Salt chefs, Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit
The wine industry knows that when we spot these two fine chefs catering at an event, the food will be superb And it was. Innovative, flavourful and delicious
Springbok tartare on potato rosti
Smoked salmon whirls on a soft beetroot purée base
Rare roast beef crostini topped with parmesan and aubergine
Tender smoked duck slices with an Asian jus and tiny carrot balls
- we admit to downing more than one each. There was plenty to satisfy all the guests
The 2023 The Loft Cape Blend, made with 50% Pinotage, the balance of Merlot and Shiraz
Elegant plum and cherry flavours with structure from French oak, 40% of it new barrels
Elegant plum and cherry flavours with structure from French oak, 40% of it new barrels
All our stories can be opened from the archive list near the top of the column on the right
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