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Ad Talent // Newsletter September/October 2009 |
| Celebrating 50 Years Of Pinotage Heritage |
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world's first Pinotage wine, cultivated in South Africa, Absa AgriBusiness has partnered with some of the country's top producers, wine-makers and estates to present a series of food and wine pairing events. Pinotage is South Africa's very own wine cultivar and has grown in popularity in local and international markets over the past half-century since its triumphant public debut at the Cape Wine Show of 1959. The tastings, took place throughout the country during August and were intended as an informal, fun and entertaining way to expose South Africans to different styles of Pinotage and see how well each wine combines with different foods. Each wine - sourced from the country's top estates, included a variety of styles such as real Pinotage, Rosé and Sparkling Pinotage - were taste-tested for compatibility against a number of sumptuous dishes including biltong and blue cheese salad, Carpaccio, fishcakes and sweet and sour sauce, frikkadelle with salsa and vegetables and, to finish off, chocolate mousse. The evenings were hosted by Beyers Truter, a well-known wine-maker and chairperson of the Pinotage Association. As co-owner and wine-maker at Beyerskloof, this internationally renowned "Pinotage King" has won a raft of awards. Truter was on hand to address questions such as the "cork versus screw-top" debate, and other experts and wine-makers shared tips and anecdotes. Among these were Abrie Beeslaar of Kanonkop wine estate, recently named International Wine-maker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. Others included Hannes Storm from Hamilton Russell Vineyards, De Wet Viljoen from Neethlingshof Estates, and award-winning wine-maker Gert Boerssen. "The food and wine pairing evenings were designed to expose the taste-buds of guests and Absa clients to a range of flavours and combinations they may not have experienced," said Truter. "The year 2009 not only marks the 50th anniversary of the introduction of Pinotage but is also the 350th anniversary of wine-making in South Africa - on 2 February 1659, Jan van Riebeeck recorded the making of the first wine in the country." Absa has been partnering the Pinotage Association of SA for the past 13 years to promote and improve the quality of South African Pinotage wines. "The annual Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition has seen standards rise dramatically and wines that make it into the top 10 have gone on to become benchmarks in the industry," says Ernst Janovsky, Head of Agribusiness at Absa Corporate and Business Bank. |
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