Stellenbosch University: 5 Minutes That Saved South Africa's Signature Grape

Stellenbosch University: 5 Minutes That Saved South Africa's Signature Grape

On 17 November 1924, Professor Abraham Izak Perold crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault; he planted the seeds at Welgevallen Experimental Farm the following year, and the Pinotage Association dates the variety's birthday to that 1925 planting. Then he forgot about them. Three years later, a demolition crew was sent to clear the overgrown garden. Charlie Niehaus, a young lecturer, walked past at exactly the right moment and stopped them. If he'd been 5 minutes later, South Africa's signature grape would have been composted. The first wine was made in 1941 -- the same year Perold died. He never tasted his own creation. The first commercial bottling was the legendary 1959 Lanzerac Pinotage. 2025 marked the centenary.