Pinot Noir has never been the obvious grape for South Africa. It makes up only a small part of the national vineyard, and compared with varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, there simply isn’t very much of it around.
There’s a good reason for that. Pinot Noir is notoriously particular about where it grows. It ripens relatively early, has thin skins and doesn’t particularly enjoy excessive heat. Put it somewhere too warm and it can lose the acidity, perfume and delicacy that make the variety so compelling in the first place.
Finding the right sites has therefore been a huge part of the development of South African Pinot Noir.
In the Cape, that generally means looking towards the coast or heading upwards. Hemel-en-Aarde and the broader Walker Bay area benefit from their proximity to the ocean, while places such as Elandskloof find their cool conditions at altitude. Elgin, another of the country’s important Pinot-growing areas, combines elevation with a notably cool growing environment.
These places aren’t interchangeable, and neither are the wines that come from them. South African Pinot can move from pale, fragrant and firmly red-fruited to darker, more savoury and structured. Cherry, cranberry and strawberry are common, alongside florals, herbs, earth and spice, but vineyard and winemaking can change the picture considerably.
That’s part of what makes Pinot such an interesting grape to taste across different producers and sites. It has an unusual ability to make those differences apparent in the glass.
South African Pinot has also come a long way. Better site selection, improved plant material, increasing vine age and a better understanding of how to handle the variety in both the vineyard and cellar have all contributed to a much more interesting Pinot landscape than we had a few decades ago.
And while Burgundy will inevitably remain the international reference point for Pinot Noir, the most interesting South African examples aren’t trying to be Burgundy. They’re increasingly convincing expressions of the Cape’s own cool-climate vineyards.
Here are some of the Pinot Noirs currently on our shelves.
R2,520.00Original price was: R2,520.00.R2,394.00Current price is: R2,394.00.Add to basket
South African Pinot Noir Mixed Case
Six South African Pinot Noirs, six different expressions of the variety, brought together in one case.
This mixed case includes one bottle each from Yardstick, Trizanne Signature Wines, Saurwein and Julien Schaal, covering everything from bright, accessible Pinot to more detailed, site-specific wines from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and Elandskloof.
A good way to taste across producers, vineyards and styles without having to choose between them.
Trizanne Barnard has spent much of her career looking towards the coast, and her Seascape range brings together wines from maritime vineyards around the Cape.
Her Pinot is all about freshness. Bright red fruit, plenty of perfume and a savoury edge, without loads of extraction or oak getting in the way. It’s Pinot that you can open without feeling like it needs an occasion.
Jessica Saurwein knows Pinot Noir exceptionally well, and ‘Om’ comes from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
It’s detailed and fragrant, with red cherry and wild strawberry, spice and an earthy, savoury undertow. There’s plenty happening, but the wine remains fine and precise rather than heavy.
This is the more immediately seductive of Jessica’s two Pinots for us, and a very good bottle if you want to see just how serious South African Pinot has become.
‘Nom’ takes us inland to the high-altitude vineyards of Elandskloof.
There’s a lovely tension to this wine. Red fruit and florals sit against spice, herbs and a firmer structure than you might expect from Pinot. It’s still unmistakably elegant, but there’s some grip behind all that perfume.
This is the Pinot to buy when you don’t want to spend serious-Pinot money every time you open a bottle.
Julien Schaal’s ‘Mountain Vineyards’ is bright, juicy and properly drinkable, with fresh red fruit, spice and enough structure to stop it becoming simple. It delivers the things we want from Pinot without making a huge production out of it.
‘Influence’ is the step up in Julien’s Pinot range, from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
More depth, more detail and more structure than ‘Mountain Vineyards’, but without losing Pinot’s perfume and freshness. Red fruit moves into darker cherry, with spice and savoury detail underneath.
If Mountain Vineyards is the Pinot for Tuesday night, this is the bottle you spend a bit more time with.
Adam Mason has been making wine in the Cape for more than two decades, and Yardstick is his own small project, built around vineyards he knows and varieties he wants to work with.
The Pinot Noir is exactly the sort of wine that makes Yardstick appealing: properly made, unfussy and very good value. Fresh red cherry and raspberry, a little spice and earthiness, fine tannins and enough acidity to keep everything moving.
South African Pinot Noir: What to Drink
Pinot Noir has never been the obvious grape for South Africa. It makes up only a small part of the national vineyard, and compared with varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, there simply isn’t very much of it around.
There’s a good reason for that. Pinot Noir is notoriously particular about where it grows. It ripens relatively early, has thin skins and doesn’t particularly enjoy excessive heat. Put it somewhere too warm and it can lose the acidity, perfume and delicacy that make the variety so compelling in the first place.
Finding the right sites has therefore been a huge part of the development of South African Pinot Noir.
In the Cape, that generally means looking towards the coast or heading upwards. Hemel-en-Aarde and the broader Walker Bay area benefit from their proximity to the ocean, while places such as Elandskloof find their cool conditions at altitude. Elgin, another of the country’s important Pinot-growing areas, combines elevation with a notably cool growing environment.
These places aren’t interchangeable, and neither are the wines that come from them. South African Pinot can move from pale, fragrant and firmly red-fruited to darker, more savoury and structured. Cherry, cranberry and strawberry are common, alongside florals, herbs, earth and spice, but vineyard and winemaking can change the picture considerably.
That’s part of what makes Pinot such an interesting grape to taste across different producers and sites. It has an unusual ability to make those differences apparent in the glass.
South African Pinot has also come a long way. Better site selection, improved plant material, increasing vine age and a better understanding of how to handle the variety in both the vineyard and cellar have all contributed to a much more interesting Pinot landscape than we had a few decades ago.
And while Burgundy will inevitably remain the international reference point for Pinot Noir, the most interesting South African examples aren’t trying to be Burgundy. They’re increasingly convincing expressions of the Cape’s own cool-climate vineyards.
Here are some of the Pinot Noirs currently on our shelves.
R2,520.00Original price was: R2,520.00.R2,394.00Current price is: R2,394.00.Add to basketSouth African Pinot Noir Mixed Case
Six South African Pinot Noirs, six different expressions of the variety, brought together in one case.
This mixed case includes one bottle each from Yardstick, Trizanne Signature Wines, Saurwein and Julien Schaal, covering everything from bright, accessible Pinot to more detailed, site-specific wines from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge and Elandskloof.
A good way to taste across producers, vineyards and styles without having to choose between them.
1 Bottle each of:
Yardstick Pinot Noir 2023
Trizanne Signature Wines ‘Hemel-en-Aarde’ Pinot Noir 2023
Saurwein ‘Om’ Pinot Noir 2024
Saurwein ‘Nom’ Pinot Noir 2024
Julien Schaal ‘Mountain Vineyards’ Pinot Noir 2025
Julien Schaal ‘Influence’ Pinot Noir 2024
R475.00Add to basket
Trizanne Signature Wines 'Hemel-en-Aarde' Pinot Noir 2023
Trizanne Barnard has spent much of her career looking towards the coast, and her Seascape range brings together wines from maritime vineyards around the Cape.
Her Pinot is all about freshness. Bright red fruit, plenty of perfume and a savoury edge, without loads of extraction or oak getting in the way. It’s Pinot that you can open without feeling like it needs an occasion.
R600.00Add to basket
Saurwein ‘Om’ Pinot Noir 2024
Jessica Saurwein knows Pinot Noir exceptionally well, and ‘Om’ comes from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
It’s detailed and fragrant, with red cherry and wild strawberry, spice and an earthy, savoury undertow. There’s plenty happening, but the wine remains fine and precise rather than heavy.
This is the more immediately seductive of Jessica’s two Pinots for us, and a very good bottle if you want to see just how serious South African Pinot has become.
R600.00Add to basket
Saurwein ‘Nom’ Pinot Noir 2024
‘Nom’ takes us inland to the high-altitude vineyards of Elandskloof.
There’s a lovely tension to this wine. Red fruit and florals sit against spice, herbs and a firmer structure than you might expect from Pinot. It’s still unmistakably elegant, but there’s some grip behind all that perfume.
R225.00Add to basket
Julien Schaal ‘Mountain Vineyards’ Pinot Noir 2025
This is the Pinot to buy when you don’t want to spend serious-Pinot money every time you open a bottle.
Julien Schaal’s ‘Mountain Vineyards’ is bright, juicy and properly drinkable, with fresh red fruit, spice and enough structure to stop it becoming simple. It delivers the things we want from Pinot without making a huge production out of it.
A very useful bottle to have around.
R370.00Add to basket
Julien Schaal ‘Influence’ Pinot Noir 2024
‘Influence’ is the step up in Julien’s Pinot range, from Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
More depth, more detail and more structure than ‘Mountain Vineyards’, but without losing Pinot’s perfume and freshness. Red fruit moves into darker cherry, with spice and savoury detail underneath.
If Mountain Vineyards is the Pinot for Tuesday night, this is the bottle you spend a bit more time with.
R250.00Add to basket
Yardstick Pinot Noir 2023
Adam Mason has been making wine in the Cape for more than two decades, and Yardstick is his own small project, built around vineyards he knows and varieties he wants to work with.
The Pinot Noir is exactly the sort of wine that makes Yardstick appealing: properly made, unfussy and very good value. Fresh red cherry and raspberry, a little spice and earthiness, fine tannins and enough acidity to keep everything moving.
SHOP OTHER PINOT NOIRS