From Pinot Noir to Pinotage: The Story Behind South Africa's Signature Grape
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Celebrating Pinot Noir Day with a little South African wine history!
Every year on Pinot Noir Day, wine lovers around the world celebrate one of the world's most famous red wine grapes. But here in South Africa, Pinot Noir has another particularly important claim to fame.
Without Pinot Noir, there would be no Pinotage.
While South Africa certainly produces Pinot Noir of its own, it is Pinotage that has become synonymous with our country's winemaking identity. And the story of how we got there begins with an experiment in Stellenbosch more than a century ago.
It All Started with Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir has a reputation for producing beautifully elegant and complex wines, but it can also be a notoriously challenging grape to grow.
In the early 20th century, Professor Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University, set out to create something new.
His idea was to bring together the desirable characteristics of Pinot Noir with the more robust and dependable qualities of Cinsaut, a variety that was known locally at the time as Hermitage.
The two varieties were crossed in 1924, with the resulting seeds planted in 1925. Those little seedlings would eventually become something uniquely South African: Pinotage.
Even the name tells the story of its parentage. "Pinot" comes from Pinot Noir, while "age" was derived from Hermitage.
Why Did Pinotage Become So Important to South Africa?
Pinot Noir is one of the world's great international varieties, with its identity historically tied particularly closely to Burgundy in France. Pinotage, however, was born right here.
That gave South African winemakers something genuinely their own. Rather than simply producing a South African expression of an international cultivar, Pinotage became a variety with a story inseparable from the history of the South African wine industry.
Over the decades, it has developed into an important part of the country's wine identity, produced as both a single varietal wine and an important component of Cape blends. Today, Pinotage is recognised as South Africa's signature grape and continues to find greater international recognition.
In 2025, Pinotage celebrated its centenary, marking 100 years since Perold planted those first seeds.
Pinot Noir and Pinotage: Are They Similar?
Being related doesn't mean they're the same.
Pinotage inherited some of its heritage from Pinot Noir, but crossing it with Cinsaut created an entirely new grape variety with its own personality.
Modern Pinotage can be made in a surprisingly wide range of styles. Some are lighter, fresher and driven by red fruit, while fuller-bodied expressions can offer rich red and black fruit, spice and smoky characteristics. Vineyard conditions and winemaking choices have an enormous influence on the final style.
This versatility has helped modern winemakers challenge some of the less favourable perceptions that surrounded Pinotage in previous decades. Today, producers across South Africa are using different sites and winemaking approaches to showcase just how diverse the cultivar can be.
So, Why Are We Talking About Pinotage on Pinot Noir Day?
Because it's a brilliant reminder of just how interconnected the world of wine really is!
Pinot Noir might not be the variety most closely associated with South Africa, but its contribution to our wine history is enormous. An experiment involving Pinot Noir and Cinsaut gave South Africa a cultivar of its own. One hundred years later, Pinotage has become an internationally recognised symbol of South African wine.
So, this Pinot Noir Day, we're raising a glass to the famous parent behind one of South Africa's proudest wine stories.
And if you'd prefer to celebrate the South African branch of the family tree, a glass of BC's Pinotage or Pinotage Reserve seems particularly appropriate.
Happy Pinot Noir Day!
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