Touch of Oak 2021

As the name suggests, Rijk's 'Touch of Oak' Pinotage features an understated presence of oak aromas that naturally underpin this deliciously fruity wine. Pinotage is South Africa's signature red grape variety , made from a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. The wine was aged for 18 months in oak barrels and invites us to savor the seductive aromas of black fruits and the subtle spicy and woody aromas. The bouquet is intense, with layered notes of black cherry , blackberry , lingonberry , and spicy vanilla that combine to create an intoxicating gem. This rich complexity translates effortlessly on the palate, supported by layers of creamy tannins that give the wine suppleness and fleshy body.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really begin to take off until the arrival of French Protestants, in the 1680s, with their skills and their knowledge of viticulture. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards being planted there in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles. South Africa's wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, an indigenous cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.