Call me weird, but I often ask random people about their opinions on wine. Not in an annoying mini-mic-on-the-high-street kind of way, but, rather, I ask everyone from taxi drivers and hairdressers to fellow drinks enthusiasts about what they’re drinking. I recently asked a shop manager what he thought of South African wine, and he responded by throwing his hands in the air and exclaiming: “Eurgh! I can’t stand pinotage!”
This cross between pinot noir and cinsault was developed in South Africa, and it’s the country’s signature grape variety, but its reputation for conjuring notes of burnt rubber and paint has, I fear, tarnished the rest of the country’s wine output. Which is a crying shame, considering how much else there is to be delighted by.
