No doubt one or two wineries on the Pinotage Association’s recently-published list of the 10 best Pinotage producers would have come as a surprise to some, but for followers of the Absa Top 10 competition that has been running since 1997 it all made sense. The following cellars, given in alphabetical order, have excelled consistently over the years with quality track records a cut above the rest when it comes to South Africa’s most successful ‘indigenous’ variety:

• Beyerskloof
• DeWaal Wines
• Kanonkop Estate
• L’Avenir Vineyards
• Rijk’s Private Cellar
• Simonsig Estate
• Spier
• Stellenzicht Vineyards
• Wellington Wines
• Windmeul Cellar

For information about the selection criteria for the 2011 Top 10 and Top 20 Pinotage Classifications plus the names of the six most successful cellarmasters with five or more Absa Top 10 awards to their names, click here and turn to page 33 in the online version of South Africa’s Pinotage Wine Guide 1997 – 2011.