Page 9 - IWSCReport2017

winemaker
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PINOTAGE pioneer
Recognising quality, consistency and a talent for Pinotage, Kanonkop’s Abrie Beeslaar takes home his third Winemaker of the Year trophy
This precision is exemplified in Kanonkop’s flagship Black Label Pinotage, the first vintage of which was 2006. “The Black Label has added another dimension to our portfolio. We’ve put a lot of focus on the quality and potential of Pinotage. It’s something that has evolved from the ground upwards,” he says.
Kanonkop also recognises the ageability of Pinotage, releasing a 10-year-old vintage each year. Since the 2012 vintage, Beeslaar has made Stellenbosch single-vineyard Pinotage for his boutique personal project called simply ‘Beeslaar’. Made from Pinotage grown on slate soil, the wine spends 20 months in French oak.
“\[Winemaker\] Jan Boland Coetzee said that ‘Pinotage is not for sissies’ to explain the challenges of Pinotage to other winemakers,” says Beeslaar. “It was these challenges and the exposure to great old vines bearing unique grapes that started my love affair with Pinotage. If you are lucky enough to have the right terroir and put in the effort that Pinotage deserves, there is no wine more rewarding.” db
WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR, SPONSORED BY AMAZON:
ABRIE BEESLAAR, KANONKOP
This year marks a hat-trick for Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar, who has now won the coveted Winemaker of the Year trophy three times, having also scooped the gong in 2015 and in 2008.
The judges felt Beeslaar stood out from the crowd for his outstanding work at Kanonkop Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Beeslaar began working at Kanonkop as assistant to Beyers Truter in 2002, taking over the top job in 2003.
Having studied oenology and viticulture at the University of Stellenbosch, he went on to work as assistant winemaker at Swartland Winery, where he was later appointed as red winemaker. Naturally, his favourite grape is Pinotage. As one of Kanonkop’s signature varieties, along with
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage has been taken to new heights of refinement under Beeslaar’s direction. “It’s a variety that was badly misunderstood for a long time,” he says. “People connected a certain style and certain characteristics with the variety. Today we are trying to focus on what’s important for producing quality red wines, which is balance, structure and elegance, rather than what is ‘typical’ Pinotage.”
Achieving the structure and balance for which Kanonkop reds are known is not straightforward in South Africa, where ripening periods are short and phenolic ripeness occasionally lacking. “We have a very intense extraction here – every two hours, 24 hours a day,” Beeslaar says.
“This style has worked well for us. We can get exactly the right structure and balance because we manage the extraction so carefully.”
8 winners’ guide 2017