12 Best wine estates for tasting Pinotage

Few names are as synonymous with Pinotage as Kanonkop. Situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg, this family-owned estate has been making wine for four generations and is internationally regarded as the benchmark for the variety. Kanonkop was among the first farms to plant Pinotage vineyards and, with over 50 years of experience, has helped shape global perceptions of South Africa’s signature grape.

The Kanonkop style shows the grape’s full potential: structured, age-worthy and profound, with wines that have achieved near-mythical status among collectors. The Black Label Pinotage, made from a vineyard planted in 1953, is one of the Cape’s most iconic bottlings.

Pinotage Tastings
Kanonkop offers a dedicated Pinotage tasting flight that includes the Rosé, the ever-popular Kadette, the Estate Pinotage, a 10-year-old library release, and the flagship Black Label.

Kanonkop Wine Estate, R44, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch

Set in the Bottelary Hills just outside Stellenbosch, Beyerskloof is widely regarded as the ‘Home of Pinotage’. Founded in 1988 by Beyers Truter – arguably South Africa’s best-known advocate for the grape – Truter’s Pinotage was famously named Best Red Wine in the World at the 1991 International Wine and Spirit Competition.

“What makes our Pinotage style memorable is the balance we strike between fruit-forward approachability and structured age-worthiness,” explains winemaker Anri Truter.

The cellar produces everything from accessible, fruit-driven wines to complex bottlings such as the flagship Diesel Pinotage and fortified Lagare Cape Vintage. Their Kriekbult vineyard, home to some of Stellenbosch’s oldest Pinotage bush vines, provides fruit for site-specific wines of depth and character.

Pinotage Tastings
Beyerskloof offers three structured tastings, all featuring Pinotage. The Classic Tasting (R70) includes five wines from rosé to Cape Blend. The Superior Tasting (R100) features premium bottlings such as Pinotage Reserve and Kriekbult. The Grand Tasting (R160) explores the full portfolio, ideal for Pinotage enthusiasts. Arrive 90 minutes before closing to enjoy fully.

Beyerskloof, R304 Koelenhof Road, Stellenbosch

Delheim holds a special place in the story of Pinotage: it was the first estate to grow, make, and bottle its own wine from the variety way back in 1960. That pioneering move helped establish Pinotage as a cornerstone of the South African wine industry. Today, Pinotage remains central to Delheim’s portfolio, with the Vera Cruz Pinotage, the classic Delheim Pinotage, and the much-loved Pinotage Rosé forming a dedicated trio of bottlings. Vera Cruz, named after Vera Sperling, honours the late Spatz Sperling’s wife and stands as one of the Cape’s iconic Pinotages.

Pinotage Tastings
Tastings take place in Delheim’s atmospheric cellar venue or at the on-site restaurant. Visitors can choose between standard wine flights or the playful cupcake-and-wine pairing, which includes Pinotage alongside fynbos-infused bakes. Pinotage is also part of the estate’s regular tasting line-ups.

Delheim Wine Estate, Knorhoek Road, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch

From grapes harvested in the 1959 vintage, Lanzerac was the first estate to bottle a commercial Pinotage wine, although the fruit was grown elsewhere in Stellenbosch. Today, the estate combines historic cellars with luxury hospitality, continuing to celebrate Pinotage as part of its winemaking tradition.

Lanzerac’s Pinotage wines remain central to its range, and the winemakers honour the pioneering bottling while adapting its style to offer a wine structured yet approachable, with the capacity to age in bottle.

Pinotage Tastings
At the Lanzerac Tasting Room, guests can sample Pinotage as part of curated flights, including the Jonkershoek Tasting and the Heritage Tasting. A Wine & Chocolate pairing is also offered, with Pinotage matched to artisanal chocolates. Daily guided cellar tours provide added context to the estate’s role in Pinotage history.

Lanzerac Wine Estate, Lanzerac Road, Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch

Diemersdal is one of the Durbanville Wine Valley’s most historic farms, with winemaking traditions dating back to 1698. While the region is widely celebrated for Sauvignon Blanc, Diemersdal has built an equally strong reputation for Pinotage, producing wines that reflect dryland-farmed, unirrigated old vines. These conditions create Pinotage grapes of remarkable intensity and concentration, distinguishing the estate’s reds from the outset.

The Pinotage range is focused and layered: the Estate Pinotage, showcasing balance and drinkability; the Reserve Pinotage, crafted from select vineyard sites with more time in oak; and The Journal Pinotage, the flagship bottling with extended barrel ageing and cellar-worthy structure.

Pinotage Tastings
The Diemersdal tasting room offers three curated options where six wines in the farm’s estate, reserve and flagship range are offered, with one of the aforementioned Pinotages in each respective line-up. Tastings are offered on the tasting-room stoep or in the venue itself, and the three Pinotages can also be savoured at the Diemersdal Farm Eatery next door.

Diemersdal Wine Estate, Koeberg Road, Durbanville, Cape Town

Situated in Wellington at the foot of the Hawequa Mountains, Diemersfontein is a family-owned estate with a long-standing association with Pinotage, not least for its coffee-flavoured Pinotage. And no, there’s no actual coffee in the wine, it’s all thanks to a clever and careful selection of clones and barrels. That pioneering wine, developed by winemaker Bertus Fourie, created an entirely new style and helped put Diemersfontein firmly on the Pinotage map.

Today Cellarmaster and Winemaker leans into that reputation while also showcasing the versatility of the grape across a range of Pinotage releases. Fruit is picked from 45 hectares of Pinotage vineyard, each shaped by its own soils and microclimates. The estate now offers a diverse range: The Prodigy Pinotage, a light and fruit-driven style; The Original Pinotage, the first-ever coffee-chocolate expression; Carpe Diem Reserve, a serious age-worthy wine matured 16 months in French oak; and The Sweet Note, an off-dry, fruit-forward option.

Pinotage Tastings
Visitors can sample across the portfolio, from fresh and chilled Prodigy to the benchmark Original and the structured Carpe Diem Reserve.

Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate, Jan van Riebeeck Drive (R301), Wellington

Established in 1946, Kaapzicht is a fourth-generation family-owned estate in the Bottelary Hills, a sub-region of Stellenbosch known for its granite-rich soils and robust red wines. The Steytler family has long championed Pinotage, producing highly regarded single-vineyard and blended expressions. Kaapzicht’s Steytler Vision Cape Blend was the first Cape Blend (a Pinotage-dominant red wine) to win the prestigious Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition.

Alongside varietal Pinotage bottlings, the grape also shines in the estate’s Cape blends, as winemaker Danie Steytler Jr continues the family tradition crafting wines that showcase both terroir and the evolving potential of South Africa’s signature grape.

Pinotage Tastings
Kaapzicht offers a range of tasting flights, including their Terroir Range and flagship Steytler Range, where Pinotage features prominently. Tastings are hosted in a relaxed farm-style tasting room overlooking the Bottelary Hills, with cheese and charcuterie platters available to order.

Kaapzicht Wine Estate, M23 Bottelary Road, Stellenbosch

Pinotage holds a special place at KWV: it was here that Professor Abraham Izak Perold was Chief Wine Expert in the 1920s.

“His pioneering spirit continues to guide our winemaking philosophy, with Pinotage expressed across multiple tiers, explains KWV’s Chief Winemaker Justin Corrans. Today, the varietal is showcased in wines ranging from the KWV Classic Collection to Cathedral Cellar Pinotage, and the premium The Mentors Perold, one of the most awarded Pinotages in South Africa.

Pinotage Tastings
A dedicated Pinotage tasting can be booked at the KWV Emporium, featuring five wines: KWV Classic Collection Rosé, Laborie Pinotage, Cathedral Cellar Pinotage, The Mentors Pinotage, and Pineau de Laborie.

The newly redesigned KWV Emporium in Paarl offers visitors a modern, Wabi-Sabi–inspired tasting room, blending heritage with contemporary design. Open seven days a week, it showcases the diversity of KWV’s portfolio.

KWV Emporium, Kohler Street, Paarl, Western Cape

Founded in 1685, Groot Constantia is one of South Africa’s oldest wine estates and the only producer of Pinotage in the Constantia Valley.

Constantia may be better known for Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux varietals, Groot Constantia offers visitors the chance to taste Pinotage grown in this unique coastal terroir.

“At Groot Constantia, what truly sets our Pinotage apart is the influence from our exceptional terroir. Our vineyards benefit from a unique microclimate and ancient soils, imparting a distinctive character to our wines,” says CEO Jean Naudé. “The gentle ocean breezes and moderate temperatures create an ideal environment for cultivating a unique Pinotage with a complexity and depth that is truly memorable.”

Pinotage Tastings
Visitors can sample Pinotage during the standard tasting (five wines, including Pinotage, plus Grand Constance) or opt for the wine-and-chocolate pairing, where Pinotage and other wines are matched with artisan chocolate. Tastings are hosted across three venues: the historic Cloete Cellar, the Production Cellar, and the main Wine Cellar and Shop.

Groot Constantia Wine Estate, Groot Constantia Road, Constantia, Cape Town

Based in Somerset West, Flagstone has built its reputation with a clear focus on Pinotage. The cellar, led by winemaker Gerhard Swart, produces several acclaimed single-varietal Pinotage bottlings alongside a Cape Blend. As one of the few wineries to devote multiple flagship wines to Pinotage, Flagstone has become a consistent voice in championing South Africa’s signature red grape.

The estate’s Pinotage portfolio includes four single-varietal wines – Poetry, Truth Tree, Writer’s Block, and Time Manner Place – along with Dragon Tree, a Cape Blend where Pinotage takes the lead. Each wine aims to express a different side of the cultivar, from approachable, fruit-forward styles to age-worthy bottligns.

Pinotage Tastings
Visitors can enjoy cellar door tastings of the Pinotage range daily. In October 2025, to mark the 100-year anniversary of the grape, Flagstone will host a special Pinotage-focused tasting featuring Poetry, Truth Tree, Dragon Tree, Writer’s Block, and Time Manner Place. A dedicated food-and-wine pairing is also planned to coincide with the celebrations.

Flagstone Winery, Somerset West, Western Cape

Located just outside Stellenbosch on the historic Polkadraai Road, Neethlingshof has been producing wine since 1692. Today the estate is best known for its iconic pine avenue and its reputation for classic Stellenbosch reds, with Pinotage a particular standout.

“We like it, and it likes us,” says winemaker Mika Engelbrecht. “But what truly sets Neethlingshof’s Pinotage apart is not just its terroir, but its legacy. Each vintage builds on the experience and intuition of those who came before. Our current team sees themselves as custodians—continuing a tradition handed down from winemaker to winemaker, each one passing the baton, refining the style, and deepening the expression of place.

Pinotage at Neethlingshof is rooted in deep red Tukulu soils on west-facing slopes at 120 metres above sea level. The vineyards benefit from cooling maritime breezes and ample afternoon sun, yielding fruit that ripens with natural balance.

Pinotage Tastings
Neethlingshof offers the Flash Food Pairing (R185), matching five wines – including the Owl Post Pinotage – with dishes such as tomato soup, BBQ chicken kebabs, and mini malva pudding. Additional options include the Estate Range Tasting (R80), Short Story Collection (R120), and Selection Tasting (R95).

Neethlingshof Wine Estate, Polkadraai Road, Stellenbosch

The Dreyer family’s journey into wine is unlike many others. After more than three decades in commercial fishing, Piet Dreyer planted his first vineyards in 1999 above the Klein Rivier near Stanford, one of the Cape’s coolest wine regions. By 2002, Raka had released its maiden vintage, quickly establishing a reputation for quality reds, and their Pinotage has since earned recognition as a finalist in the ABSA Top 10 Pinotage competition and secured a trophy at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

At Raka, Pinotage leans into its Pinot Noir heritage, producing a more elegant style that reflects both the cool Klein Rivier terroir and the Dreyer family’s dedication to crafting distinctive, fruit-driven wines.

Pinotage Tastings
Daily tastings include a flight of eight wines, with Pinotage always among the selection. This gives visitors the opportunity to explore the estate’s full range while experiencing how Pinotage stands apart in this cool-climate corner of the Cape.

Raka Wines, Klein Rivier, R326, Stanford, Western Cape