Pinotage Sherry Torrontes South Africa Overberg

Pinotage is the signature grape varietal of South Africa, and is the most widely grown grape in the country, as well as being common in several other countries around the world. It is a viticultural cross of two fine grape varietals, the Pinot Noir and the Cinsaut (known as Hermitage in South Africa, hence the portmanteau name), and is notable for the fact that it produces excellent and flavorful wines of a deep red color The flavors most commonly associated with Pinotage wines are generally smoky in nature, with notes ranging from dark bramble fruits, to plum, mulberry and earthy characteristics. However, it often also includes quite tropical flavors of stewed banana. The Pinotage varietal is a versatile one, and is often used for producing fortified and sparkling wines, as well as the more common still red wines.

Sherry is made in a unique way using the solera system, which blends fractional shares of young wine from oak barrels with older, more mature wines. Sherry has no vintage date because it is blended from a variety of years. Rare, old sherries can contain wine that dates back 25 to 50 years or more, the date the solera was begun. If a bottle has a date on it, it probably refers to the date the company was founded.

Most sherries begin with the Palomino grape, which enjoys a generally mild climate in and around the triad of towns known as the "Sherry Triangle" and grows in white, limestone and clay soils that look like beach sand. The Pedro Ximenez type of sweet sherry comes from the Pedro Ximenez grape.

Sherry is a "fortified" wine, which means that distilled, neutral spirits are used to fortify the sherry. The added liquor means that the final sherry will be 16 to 20 percent alcohol (higher than table wines) and that it will have a longer shelf life than table wines.

Situated on the very tip of the African continent, South Africa has proved itself over three centuries to be an ideal location for producing a wide range of wines. Benefiting from something not dissimilar to a Mediterranean climate, with long, hot summers complemented by both Atlantic and Indian Ocean winds, the grapes which grow on the valleys, mountainsides and plains of this fascinating country can ripen to their fullest capacity, producing wines packed full of fruity flavors and an array of interesting and enticing aromas. As a former colony, South Africa has long since been home to a range of different nationalities, who each brought something of their wine culture with them. As such, many European grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling and others have been given time to flourish in South Africa, allowing the country to develop a diverse group of wine types which are proving increasingly popular around the world.


The South African wine region of Overberg takes its name from its location in relation to that of the country’s capital city, Cape Town. It is ‘over the mountains’, or berg. For the past three decades, this region has been steadily establishing itself as one of the most important and finest of all of South Africa’s wine regions, thanks to the dedication of the vintners who call this place home.

Overberg owes much of its success to its altitude. The region is situated around seven hundred meters above sea level, which allows the vines to receive more hours of sunlight than those in neighboring regions. This altitude also allows for a cooler climate, and a longer ripening season which produces grapes of remarkable character and balance, which are used in the region’s distinctive and increasingly popular wines. Complex, acidic, fresh and balanced are the typical adjectives used to describe the wines which come out of Overberg, and they are a fantastic example of what native French varietals can be in new and interesting locations. The most popular grapes planted in this part of South Africa are Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc - the altitude and coolness suiting these white grapes perfectly. Red varietals are also grown there to great success, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Petit Verdot.