Kanonkop's Johann Krige: The Pinotage Still Stunning After 50 Years | South Africa Series Part 4 of 5

Kanonkop opened its 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage to celebrate 50 years of bottling its own wine, and Johann Krige says both were stunning. He credits a fermentation that finishes in about three and a half days.

The South Africa Series continues in the garden at Kanonkop in Stellenbosch. Matt Weiss talks with Johann Krige, who co-owns the estate with his brother Paul. Johann explains how the family cut Kanonkop down to Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage, with a little Merlot and Cabernet Franc for blending, and how bush vines keep the Pinotage concentrated. He also explains how being a Krige won't get you a senior job, what Americans get wrong about Pinotage, and his case for South Africa as the best value in wine.

Kanonkop sits on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg. Johann and Paul are grandsons of Paul Sauer, namesake of the estate's Bordeaux-style blend, and the first wines under the Kanonkop label were bottled in 1973.

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KEYWORDS:
Kanonkop, Kanonkop wine, Kanonkop Pinotage, Johann Krige, Paul Krige, Paul Sauer, Pinotage, South African Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch, Simonsberg, South African wine, South Africa wine, bush vines, open fermenters, aged wine, Bordeaux blend, family wine estate, wine podcast, Wine Centric Show, Matt Weiss, South Africa Series