False Bay Pinotage 2021

First discovered by sailors confusing it for Table Bay to the north, False Bay has long been a haven for those navigating the treacherous Cape of Good Hope. The cool coastal breeze which sweeps off the Indian Ocean tempers the ripening process in this area of the cape, extends the growing season and produces expressive wines with more precise varietal characters and purity. The False Bay range was developed by Paul Boutinot, an Englishman from Manchester who not only established a highly successful importing company but also then invested in an incredible 250 hectare wine estate in South Africa. He makes many cuvee at Waterkloof including the entry level False Bay range from fruit sourced from elsewhere in the region. Extensive experience in working with the Pinotage grape, provided the knowledge to bring out the best in the varietal by working with low yielding, old, untrellised bush vines. This seems to change a grape that is more beast than beauty, into something special. Those stunted plantings that look like twisted bonsai, proved to have the stuff of greatness. Fruit so dense that it needs the tough love of open fermenters to dispel the volatile esters. This wine was the result of very small berries with a great degree of concentration. As with all the reds in the False Bay range, native or wild yeasts were allowed to complete the fermentation process. After de-stemming, berries were fermented in stainless steel tanks; with the onset of fermentation, pump-over took place 3 times per day, which ensured the extraction of colour and tannins. Spicy berry fruit with hints of chocolate. Soft juicy fruit on the palate shows hints of black berries and plums.

The Waterkloof estate was founded in 2004, ending Paul Boutinot’s (of the epynomous importing business based in Gatley, Manchester!) persistent and uncompromising 10 year search for a vineyard site with the potential to produce truly fine wine with a defining sense of origin.

Respect for nature, traditional wine making practices and minimal intervention are all key to their success. Named after South Africa’s most iconic bay, which frames much of the country’s premium wine lands, False Bay Vineyards was borne out of a desire to make ‘real’ wine affordable. The wines of False Bay are sourced from coastal vineyards that are cultivated using sustainable viticulture, often hand picked, and undergo natural fermentation, which is rare of wines at this price. This range is unbeatable for price/quality ratio.