Sanniesrust is the personal label of Pieter van der Merwe, a winemaker at David Finlayson Wines. It is named after the Free State farm he grew up on. The tone matches the winemaking. “Wine must be fun. Wyn moet LEKKER wees.” These are serious wines made without any pretension, with labels that carry the farm windmill. They are easy to pour, easy to pair and easy to talk about.

The grapes come from a 12-year-old vineyard on the foot of the Simonsberg mountain, on the Paarl side, and were harvested by hand. Spontaneous natural fermentation took place in an open top fermentation tank with minimal punch downs, and the fermentation temperature was held between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. After malolactic fermentation on the skins the wine was pressed and matured in 3rd fill 500 litre French oak barrels for 18 months. It was bottled unfiltered and unfined.

Tasting Notes: A bouquet of fynbos and bramble opens the wine, then moves towards dried strawberries and cured meat on the palate. A cool fermentation, unusually cold for a red wine, gives silky smooth tannins, so the savoury depth never turns rough. It can be bold without performing and complex without needing interpretation, a quietly confident Pinotage that simply gets on with being itself.

Food Pairing: Cured meat on the palate points straight to biltong, droëwors and a proper charcuterie board. Braaied ribs, springbok loin, lamb shank and slow cooked beef short rib all suit its bramble fruit and savoury depth, as do Cape Malay dishes such as bobotie or curries. A wedge of mature cheddar and a second glass is never a bad idea either to finish the evening.

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.82% | TA 5.9g/L | pH 3.51 | RS 2.3g/L