There are several things one associates with South Africa. The world cup for football fans, Pinotage for wine drinkers and Nelson Mandela for everyone else. Yet football goes better with beer than wine, and Pinotage doesn’t necessarily go well with Nelson Mandela. Created in 1925 by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault, Pinotage has gained worldwide acclaim since the fall of apartheid in the 1990s. It boasts heavy tannins and tar aromas balanced by dark fruits. Try these and other South African wines at Pinotage, or order them from Winelink. Although (or perhaps because) it’s typically South African, Pinotage wasn’t Mandela’s wine of choice for his Nobel Prize reception banquet. Instead, he chose Rust en Vrede “Estate,” a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot from Stellenbosch, SAR’s equivalent to Bordeaux. It’s hard to say whether the decision was political or based on the strong tannins of the Pinotage, but you can try the Rust en Vrede yourself at Enoteca for ¥515.

Tomaz Hladnik, Manager of Enoteca