The wine.co.za team visits the home of Pinotage at Beyerskloof

I can't believe in all my years in the wine industry that I have not yet actually sat down at Beyerskloof to enjoy their delicious Pinotage Burger.  Not only was the wine.co.za team treated to a tour and full tasting through the extensive Beyerskloof portfolio by the very enthusiastic Christiaan van der Heever, but we got to enjoy the wines alongside their full menu, starting with (yummy) garlic pizza, Pinotage Salami and then of course the juicy Pinotage Burger, followed by desserts to keep the pudding tummy happy for a long time.

Pinotage has always been a difficult wine for me to enjoy, and so I was very pleased to find that every single one of the wines presented to us was super enjoyable.  We had a favourite -  incredibly good value for money - the Traildust - a blend of Cinsaut (25 year-old vines), Pinotage (20 year-old vines) and Pinot Noir (10 year-old vines). Beyers Truter has a great sense of humour and this wine is named after a Louis L'Amour quote - ''Traildust is thicker than blood!''
Of course this favourite only lasted until we were lucky enough to enjoy the Diesel and the Faith - both icons and memorable in their own right. And pricey at R800 & R700 each from their website.
 
We were welcomed with a crisp clear Pinotage Rose and wandered past the open fermenters with a No Swimming Sign - which attracted much attention.  This was in fact for the winter when the tanks are used to store water!

Beyerskloof has always been a great student venue and there is plenty of room for everyone, from the back stoep to the tasting room to private tasting rooms to the restaurant with the stoep overlooking the vineyards to the east.  And of course in the winter the fireplace is pumping, so if you are chilly - this is a perfect place to visit and enjoy their warm hospitality and the hot fire.

And now that I have tasted the Pinotage Burger - my next stop is their new wine bar in Stellenbosch, which is perfect for evenings when the winery is no longer open. And the wines are available at Cellar Door prices. What more could you want?