Most people know Pinotage as a sturdy red. At Kanonkop they also make this: a rosé taken off the skins so quickly it barely picks up any colour. The result is a pale, dry rosé with more character than its colour suggests. The cheerful little sibling of the Kadette range.

Character

The grapes are pressed straight away, the juice is cool-fermented and then rests on its lees for another three months. That gives it a touch more texture than your average patio rosé. Red fruit and something floral on the nose; on the palate it's all freshness: citrus, apple, stone fruit and lively acidity.

Tasting notes

• Colour — pale salmon pink, clear and bright.
• Nose — raspberry and cherry, with a light touch of elderflower.
• Palate — fresh and citrusy, with grapefruit, Pink Lady apple and nectarine.
• Finish — light and elegant, with lively acidity.

How I serve it

At 8 to 10 °C, straight from the fridge. As it warms up a little in the glass, the red fruit comes forward.

• As an aperitif, with olives and a handful of smoked almonds.
• With grilled salmon or seared tuna with sesame.
• With peri-peri prawns.
• With a leek and goat's cheese tart, or Sunday roast chicken.

What to do with it

This is the rosé I bring to a barbecue when I don't know the host that well: a name that inspires confidence, a fair price and a taste that suits almost anything on the grill. Drink it young — the estate says two to three years after harvest — because freshness is exactly why you buy it.

Origin & facts

• Grape — Pinotage 100%
• Origin — Coastal Region, South Africa
• Alcohol — 13,5% vol
• Volume — 75 cl
• Winemaking — grapes crushed and pressed straight away to limit colour extraction; cool-fermented at 13 °C until dry, then three months on the lees; no oak
• Producer — Kanonkop, Stellenbosch (South Africa)
• Allergens — contains sulphites