Pinotage Wine Tasting – Episode #590

December 4, 2008

South Africa is very proud of the Pinotage grape and today Gary Vaynerchuk tries 3 value driven Pinotage wines on the thunder Show to see how they fare.

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Comments on this episode(214) Leave a comment ›

“You had a pinotage recently on one of your shows and I had to go out a…” by Bobbie Smith
“QOTD: Bright blue skies and deep blue ocean, contrasts and beauty unde…” by Logan
View all 214 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

Nederberg PinotageSouth African Pinotage
2007 Lion Hunt PinotageSouth African Pinotage
2006 False Bay PinotageSouth African Pinotage

Links mentioned in today’s episode.

The Fort Mason Party

214 Responses

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May 26, 2009

Bobbie Smith
You had a pinotage recently on one of your shows and I had to go out and find some more. I had Goats Do Roam, a pinotage blend, and another pinotage within the last month that left me wondering if I should continue with this wine. (The Goats Do Roam was so gamey that I couldn’t stop thinking about goats and while that might be the terroir of the estate, it wasn’t too appealing to me.) Glad I kept up the search. Found some more banana in the last week, and I love when these wines have a hint of vanilla too. It goes well with the banana. Ok, enough blabbing.

QOTD: I think of a guy that lived in Capetown and picked my husband and I up as we hitchhiked across Kauai. Good guy, obviously, because we needed a shower. Every person I have ever met from South Africa was unbelievably friendly and they love their country. I need to go there.
April 26, 2009

Logan
QOTD: Bright blue skies and deep blue ocean, contrasts and beauty under the hot African sun… that sounded pretty corny haha

I love Pinotage!
March 22, 2009

Raul
Just went to S Africa for the first time last November and visited several wineries in Stellenbosch. Since then I have been more curious about Pinotages. Enjoyed the show!!
January 30, 2009

Gary Meyer
There’s nothing wrong with the way he pronounces it.. except maybe a little too much emphasis on the “o”… in South Africa we say it more like “Pin-a-Tage”
January 30, 2009

Dessert Wine Nerd
Another show about a grape I knew nothing about. Once again, thank you. QOTD: Sadly, apartheid.
January 23, 2009

Adam J
QOTD: Nelson Mandela….jump up for Nelson Mandela!!
January 8, 2009

CBone
QOTD: Claire
January 7, 2009

Egbert
Opened a Sebeka Pinotage for the first time last month.
Initial nose was like dunking into a vat of Swiss high cacao chocolate while standing a the top of a snowy mountain. Not a York Pepper Mint Patty type of thing but not the hot chocolate type of warm and fuzzy chocolate. This was a cool snap of a thin, high quality chocolate rubbed with an ice cube so it gets hard and stands-up kind of chocolate aroma. Yeah, kind of a sexy, revealing, slap you in the face, chocolate.

This lasted for about 5-7 minutes before all that aroma bled off into the other, remaining aromas. It very much grabbed my attention.

At the grocery store the next week, I got a False Bay that he just reviewed, for <$10 US. I also was surprised at the value I got there. I will be going back to add stock of the False Bay.

QOTD: Rugby (Springboks uniform is my mental picture)
December 23, 2008

Justin L. Ove
Great show, you were on like flan.
QOTD: Ahab
December 23, 2008

DCaseyLee
QOTD- Lion
December 23, 2008

DCaseyLee
GARY ! yeah !
im going to catch up on the last few that ive missed before you get to episode 600 !
cant wait im know it will bring mad thunder !
December 16, 2008

Todd
qotd
Zulu
December 14, 2008

Keith
Mandela
December 13, 2008

Andrew D
Thanks Gary

Interesting show

QTD: Sharks
December 11, 2008

Palmer
QOTD: South Africa — World Cup 2010 baby!!!

Pinotage: I’ve had 3 or 4 and they’ve all been so heavy on tobacco flavors that I found them almost undrinkable.
December 11, 2008

JayZee
Okay, it appears that a number of people have bashed you for the “False Boy” gaffe so I won’t belabor the point other than to say, those kind of mistakes give you charm.

QOTD: Stellenbosch
December 11, 2008

MattUD
QOTD: Ernie Els, I was surprised too.
December 10, 2008

C-Fiddy
QOTD: Robbie Hunter!

You – Me, at the flag pole… Classic, GV. Thanks!
December 10, 2008

Tim Wiseman
QOTD: Pinotage

Gary, this is why I like your show (ok, one of the reasons) – for some stupid reason I have never tried a Pinotage, and of course, value wines rock. I can’t wait to try something new.

Thanks for droppin’ some knowledge …
December 10, 2008

Henre
Most people here seem to associate South Africa with pretty much the same things: Apartheid (which ended 14 years ago), Nelson Mandela (or Madiba as he’s informally known and chief anti-Apartheid activist), poverty, disease, but nice to see some Charlize Theron and Dave Matthews too.

Let’s get with the times and celebrate these truly unique South African experiences:

1. Wildlife – need I say more?
2. Afrikaans – The youngest language in the world. Originated in Paarl, my home town…slightly less well known than Stellenbosch…but home to Gary V’s Nederburg Pinotage on show here. (Also KWV and a host of world renowned wines, including Goats do Roam from Fairview Wines)
3. Cape Town, probably the most scenic city in the world. (Excuse my bias)
4. Home to an astonishing 11 official languages.

Many commented on the “False Boy” error, but this is what False Bay actually is:

False Bay is a body of water defined by Cape Hangklip (Dutch/Afrikaans for “Hang-stone”) and the Cape Peninsula in the extreme South-West of South Africa.

The reason it’s called False Bay:

The name “False Bay” was applied early on (at least three hundred years ago) by sailors who confused the bay with Table Bay to the north. The confusion arose because sailors returning from the east initially confounded Cape Point and Cape Hangklip, which are somewhat similar in form.
December 10, 2008

YoungDave
QOTD: South Africa : smoked meat & iron (I always smell something irony or bacon-esque or smoked meaty in South African red wines, whether Syrah, Pinotage, Cabernet, etc. Maybe it’s the red clay.)
December 10, 2008

CraigG
South Africa = Mulderbosch

Great episode!
December 10, 2008

foulmouthpoet
sweet show. you were on today!! i’m gonna try those.
qotd: seven. i have no idea why, but i thought of the number seven.
December 9, 2008

Dan-o
Enjoyed the show. I have not had many Pinotages. I do remember it as being just “meh” (your term). I will try it again because I like variety.

QOTD – Word association with SA – Pinotage, Nelson Mandela, Goats Do Roam.
December 9, 2008

MBannon
Good episode. I need to try more Pinotage. Heck, I need to try more South African wines, period.