Braai Pinotage Western Cape South Africa 2020

South Africa holds the earliest archaeological evidence of barbecue anywhere, and the braai remains enough of a national institution that Heritage Day, September 24, has been celebrated as a country-wide braai day since 2007. This label from Cape Classics was built for exactly that table, with winemaking by Bruwer Raats and Clayton Christians. The Pinotage, South Africa's own grape, comes from decomposed granite soils about 650 feet up in the Western Cape's coastal region, where ocean winds keep the vines cool; a mix of younger and older plantings is destemmed, fermented in stainless steel with regular punch-downs, and aged thirteen months in French oak. Leather, blackberry, plum, and savory spice lead into a medium-to-full body with structured tannins that want char and smoke. The name is the serving suggestion.