We are proud to share that Beeslaar Pinotage 2016 has received a 2026 Absa Vintage Pinotage Award of Excellence, recognising its outstanding development in bottle and the remarkable ageing potential of South Africa’s signature grape variety.
The Vintage Pinotage Awards assess Pinotage wines older than 10 years, with a panel of Cape Wine Masters looking for wines that have retained freshness, balance, structure and complexity as they mature. This year, 20 wines from vintages spanning 1995 to 2016 achieved the qualifying standard.
The Beeslaar Pinotage 2016 was produced from a single Stellenbosch vineyard of dry-farmed bush vines, which were 23 years old at the time of harvest. The wine was matured for 20 months in barrel and, from its release, was considered to have a cellar life of between 15 and 20 years.
A decade later, this Award of Excellence provides wonderful confirmation of that ageing potential.
For Beeslaar Wines, the recognition is particularly meaningful. Pinotage lies at the heart of our winemaking philosophy, and seeing the 2016 vintage continue to show its character, balance and longevity after ten years in bottle is a proud reflection of both its Stellenbosch origins and the potential of the cultivar itself.
The Absa Vintage Pinotage Awards, presented in partnership with the Pinotage Association, play an important role in documenting how South African Pinotage develops over time and in building the case for the variety’s place among the world’s great age-worthy wines.