Pinotage is the cilantro of the wine world.

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety Pinotage.

October 11, 2010

Pinotage – Wine of the Week

Pinotage is the cilantro of the wine world — you either love it or hate it, but very few people sit on the fence.
A cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir, Pinotage was created in 1925 by a Stellenbosch, South Africa university professor. The idea was to reap the best of both grapes and combine the sturdiness of Cinsault in the vineyard with the world-class taste of Pinot Noir in the glass.
Unfortunately, sometimes beautiful parents produce an ugly child, and though Pinotage lovers would disagree, I think this grape falls squarely in the “do not cross” category. Why? Because, more than its good qualities, the wine is known for its burnt-rubber aftertaste.
There are a lot of wine descriptors that critics enthusiastically use to describe a high-quality wine. Cat’s piss. Horse leather. Barnyard funk. But burnt rubber? Definitely not on the list.
Read more about this wine after the jump.
To be fair, not all Pinotage has this taste in spades. In some wines, it’s more subtle, and in others, nonexistent. But no one advertises on the bottle: “Warning: This wine tastes like burnt rubber,” so you never know what you’re going to get.
We had a wine tasting last weekend, and I threw a bottle of Pinotage in. I tasted everything before our guests came over, and at first the Pinotage lured me in: It was a an inexpensive Westerland 2005 Pinotage from South Africa ($10), and it smelled of leather, smoky flint, and dried cherries and prunes. A sip confirmed the nose, but then — oh, then — the burnt rubber crept over my tongue like a stealth fungus, and I gagged and stuffed cheese in my mouth to mask the horrible taste, which lingered for a couple of hours. Talk about a long finish.
I put the bottle aside, but people got interested in it, so I warned them to try at their own risk. To my astonishment, several of our guests not just tolerated the Pinotage, but actually preferred it to the other wines. One friend experimented with giving the wine some air for 10-15 minutes, and the acrid rubber was less obnoxious, but still there. I was amazed anyone liked it at all, but it’s a good lesson about wine and food taste in general: One person’s burnt rubber is another person’s paradise.
Have you had Pinotage? Do you like it or hate it? Vote in the poll below!

Source: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/30/pinotage-wine-of-the-week/

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation. This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila. Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

This wine shop in Angeles Clark Philippines is also renowned for a very unique product called Vintage Beer which many characterize as “Champagne beer” because it comes in a bottle with a Champagne stopper and metal restrainer. Vintage beers are top-of-the-line luxury beers bottle-conditioned for a slow fermentation to take place inside the bottle, a process that is very similar to Champagne which is designed to not only create the bubbles but also for an amazing complexity and depth of flavors.

For fans of Port and Sauternes, this wine shop in Clark Pampanga has a large selection of vintage port, Sauternes and Barsac as well as Eiswein/Icewine from Austria and Germany. Likewise, there is a good selection of Vintage Champagne at the wine shoppers’ disposal in the cellars of this wine shop in Clark Pampanga.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

For inquires and reservations, contact us here

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.