Exploring the “Heartbreak Grape”

Pinot Noir is a wild child. It doesn’t tolerate being told what to do and as a winemaker, it is often just beyond your grasp. It’s a tricky grape to deal with, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and it takes a devilish persistence and a serious understanding of the land, the soil and the grape to coax it into its fullest expression.

It is only a handful of winemakers that would even attempt to harness this temperamental and unpredictable variety, and on Wednesday this week, we had the pleasure of tasting some of the finest examples that South Africa has to offer. Under the Influence hosted two tastings concurrently, one in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg, with the following wines making a special appearance:

• Paradyskloof Pinot Noir 2010
• Creation Pinot Noir 2010
• Sutherland Pinot Noir 2009
• Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2009
• Newton Johnson Pinot Noir 2009
• Bouchard Finlayson Gapin Peak 2009
• Ernst Gouws & Co Pinot Noir 2007
• Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2007

There were some clear favourites, with Paradyskloof, Sutherland and Hamilton Russell getting the most nods of approval.

Twitter was all aflutter with live tasting notes, becoming progressively more flamboyant as the evening wore on. Here are some gems:

@vanclark ”tastes like my mother’s roast lamb” Susan, cape town tasting

@SuckTheMarrowZA Paradyskloof Pinot so far the gold from a dead mans pirate chest – feels like I’ve been searching for years

@UnderInfluence Pinot noir is for romantics of the world – they often fall for flawed yet fascinating characters

Some photos from the event:

A few of our treasured regulars

What's On Eatery on Watson, the Cape Town venue

Little parcels of Pinot, nicely wrapped and waiting to be poured...

It was another evening of learning, tasting some amazing wines and general merriment. And an absolute pleasure for the Under the Influence team to meet some new faces and reconnect with old ones!

For a looks through the eyes of a fellow wine enthusiast, have a look here.