October 10, 2015, is the International Pinotage Day, so if you have not tasted this wine grape variety before this is a good time to do it. If you are already familiar with Pinotage, then why not just take the opportunity and celebrate a bit extra with a few glasses of Pinotage? It is an unusual vine variety from South Africa.

Pinotage is one of these varieties that are almost only grown in one single country. In the case of Pinotage the only country where you will find it is in South Africa. It is also unusual in that it is a very recent grape variety. It is not an ancient domestic variety. In fact, Pinotage was created by Abraham Izak Perold in 1925. He was professor of viticulture at the Stellenbosch University. He made a crossing of the two French varieties Cinsault and Pinot Noir. At the time Cinsault (or Cinsaut) was sometimes called Hermitage so the name of the crossing became Pinotage. His aim was no doubt to combine the prestigious qualities of the Pinot Noir from Burgundy with the heat resistant and productive Cinsaut.