Wyn/Ecology: Pinotage

While I never turn up my nose at bourbon, I usually stick with wine, vodka (though the occasional scotch or aged rum is always nice).  I've gone through a number of stages in the development of my pallet.  

At the start of my wine drinking days it was all "Yellow Tail" Merlot all the time.  I drank it because that's what my favorite philosophy professor ordered when we went out to the bar.  She saved me from a life as an employed doctor and pushed me towards a career that hasn't afforded me the luxury of more expensive bottles.   Next, there were the Chilean wines, like "Casillero del Diablo" which I was introduced to while studying in London.  They used to be super cheap, but now the ones that I used to drink for 6 dollars a bottle cost about 10. There are still a lot of good buys from Chile, but the jump in price has put me off.  Of course there have been lots of other bottles between then and now. For instance there is the "Layer Cake's" Cab, (between 20-30 dollars a bottle) that I fell in love with recently and the Ravenswood's Zin (about 9 dollars a bottle) that continues to be a staple.  However, I'd have to say that my recent "go-to" bottles have generally been Pinotages.

The 3 Best/Cheapest Pinotages: 

Recently I've been drinking tons of Pinotage and Pinotage blends.  It's a South African grape which is consistently deep plum and often smokey tasting. Since it's new world, the prices are a bit more affordable, think of it as priced comparatively to an Argentinean Mallbec. 

* Ratings are out of 6 Rams Heads

3)  ORACLE PINOTAGE  ^^^

My third favorite Pinotage under 10 dollars is "Oracle"'s bottle.  It's about 6 dollars a bottle.  It needs to breath for a few moments, but it will not disappoint and will give you a good sense of what pinotages are about before you have a more expensive bottle but with none of the subtlety.  I'm drinking it right now.

  2) SEBEKA SHIRAZ PINOTAGE "CAPE BLEND" ^^^^

 You'll find it for about 7-9 dollars and it's just fabulous. With  the deeper Pinotage and the Shiraz's sweater notes it's a really nice blend.  (NOTE: I'm not such a big fan of their Pinotage Cab blend that they do, it's just not as well balanced)

1) FAIRVALLEY PINOTAGE  ^^^^^

For about 8-9 dollars a bottle this is just the best. A bit more on the bright and spicy side.  The propaganda about the vineyard is really neat too. Ask your local store to start carrying it.  The workers owned the land, there is the blog on their social mission:  http://fairvalleyecovillage.blogspot.com/