Not many countries have a grape of their own. South Africa does: Pinotage, crossed in Stellenbosch in 1925 from Pinot Noir and Cinsault. If you want to taste one wine that tastes of that country, this is it. And Kanonkop is exactly the house to go to. Kadette is their second label, made and bottled on the estate, and far easier on the wallet than their flagship Pinotage.

Character

Deep purple-red in the glass, and straight away cherries and plums on the nose, edged with cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate it's juicier than you'd expect: medium-bodied, fresh acidity, fine tannins. Not a heavyweight, then, but a wine you pour a second glass of without thinking.

Tasting notes

• Colour — deep purple-red.
• Nose — cherries, red and black plums, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Palate — cherry, black plum, liquorice and cedar, with a hint of baking spice; juicy and medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins.
• Finish — long.

How I serve it

At 16 to 18 °C. On a warm day, give it fifteen minutes in the fridge — Pinotage only gets fresher for it.

• With a pepperoni pizza or a bowl of pasta in a punchy tomato sauce.
• With burgers off the barbecue, cheddar and caramelised onions.
• With a venison casserole when game is in season.
• With a Thai red duck curry — the fruit stands up to the heat.

What to do with it

This is my tip for anyone who says they'd like to try South African wine: start with their own grape, and with a house that made its name with it. It's also a good bottle to bring to dinner when you don't know what's being served, because it goes with so much. The estate says to drink it within five to seven years, but it's already lovely now.

Origin & facts

• Grape — Pinotage 100%
• Origin — Wine of Origin Stellenbosch, South Africa; bush vines on decomposed granite
• Alcohol — 14% vol
• Volume — 75 cl
• Winemaking — fermented in open concrete tanks at 28 °C, punched down every two hours; 12 months in second- and third-fill 225-litre French oak barrels (Nevers)
• Producer — Kanonkop, Stellenbosch (South Africa)
• Allergens — contains sulphites