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 Could the Hazy View Pinotage be a classic wine do you suppose? It certainly has pedigree, having come from prime land on the Western Cape of South Africa where some of the best vines are grown.
We know that for this wine only the best grapes from the most prolific and strongest high yielding vines are chosen, and they are treated with the greatest of care and attention due to a great wine, indeed, great attention is paid in the vineyard to ensure the best quality grapes are used, with particular attention paid to the age of the vines and their yields.
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With regard to vinification, we know that the grapes are de-stalked without being crushed, and fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 50 hours at 25°C for the Pinotage. The wine does not go through malolactic fermentation nor does it see any wood ageing, and it is fined using Bentonite and is cold stabilised at -4°C prior to being blended and bottled.
Background of Hazy View Pinotage
The 2008 Hazy View is a 100% Pinotage wine which has a clean appearance and is a bright ruby red in colour. On the nose there are lots of brambly fruit flavours. On the palate the wine is medium bodied with an easy drinking style. The aftertaste is fruity, with a pleasant lively finish. It is best served at room temperature to accompany red meats, game and wholesome full-flavoured dishes. The ABV of this particular year is a good 14%.
Wine buffs in particular are keen to acquire a little knowledge of where the grapes are grown when they taste a wine new to them. Factors such as the climatic conditions, the average rainfall at particular times of the growing season are of interest too, as is the makeup of the soil in which the vines are grown.
| May we add a word or two about Bill Warry who is the owner/founder of Chateau Select, wine merchants in London. Bill started his business because of his love for wines and the regions in which it is made, not to mention the rich variety of wonderful characters which he discovered in the process. Bill is fortunate indeed to have been able to turn his hobby into what is now a flourishing career in the wine trade and he would like to invite you to take a look at his website, in particular at his Hazy View Pinotage page, and where he would also like to welcome you to join his wine club. |
With this in mind we can say that in general the South African viticulture takes place mainly at a latitude of 34° south in an area with a balmy, mild Mediterranean climate.
The Western Cape, from where hales the Hazy View Pinotage, is a tad cooler than one may believe given its geographic position, but these conditions are perfect for a wide variety of vines, and we find that the traditional winegrowing areas along the coastal zone are seldom more than 50 kms from the ocean and they benefit from the gentle breezes coming in from the sea.
Luckily for the growers this mild climate has warm summers and cool winters with frost rarely being a problem, and rain falls mainly between May and August. Further to the east and more northerly, the Klein Karoo, Olifants River and Orange River areas tend to be warmer and drier.
Many view South Africa as the cradle of mankind, and we wonder if this can be borne out by the ancient soils there in which Hazy View grapes are nurtured and grown, and certainly the vineyards which lie on the valley sides and floors benefit from the many different meso-climates offered by the mountainous terrain and diverse range of soil structures.
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