Paul Clüver and the Cape Showcase Pinot Noir at International Event

One of the world’s great wine events occurs annually in Oregon on the Pacific Northwest of America where the wine world focusses on the magic grape that is Pinot Noir. The International Pinot Noir Celebration has been held since 1987, and this year Paul Clüver Family Wines and a handful of South African producers attended this three-day event in July to showcase the Cape’s Pinot Noir acumen, as well as immersing themselves in this Burgundian variety.

The event was held at the campus of Linfield University in McMinville as well as on the hillside vineyards of the famous Willamette Valley, one of America’s pre-eminent Pinot Noir regions. And the who’s-who of Pinot Noir turned up, including producers from Burgundy, New Zealand, Australia and Canada – to name a few. Tastings and lectures were complemented with plenty of socialising – glass of Pinot Noir in hand – culminating in the famous Salmon Bake which is a highlight of the Pacific Northwest’s culinary offering.

Paul Clüver Family Wines managing director Paul Clüver Jnr joined Andries, along with fellow South Africans representing Hamilton Russell Vineyards and De Grendel.

According to Andries the South African representatives attracted great interest with their renditions of Pinot Noir, as well as the way in which the Cape’s affinity for the variety was communicated.
“The most important message conveyed was that as producers we are truly committed to supreme quality and excellence in Pinot Noir, an ethos shared by every winemaker from every country attending the Pinot Noir Celebration,” says Andries. “This is the very reason for the event’s existence, showing the reverence the world of Pinot Noir producers and its community of lovers have for this grape.”

The showcasing of the Cape’s diverse terroir through the Pinot Noir wines on offer was another key element.
“No other red grape variety reflects its sense of place in the way Pinot Noir does, which is one of the reasons for our collective fascination with the cultivar,” says Andries. “Being able to show attendees wines that each display a unique and distinctive regional finger-print most definitely made an impression on the other producers and wine-lovers attending the event. By allowing them to taste Pinot Noirs from Elgin, Ceres Plateau and the Hemel-en-Aarde gave the audience a clear glimpse into the varying terroirs to be found in the Cape. And what an honour that this can be done through the experiencing of Pinot Noir. I think we truly opened some eyes to the wonders of the Cape winelands and could not have asked for a better platform to do so. And the salmon-bake accompanied by some of the world’s finest Pinot Noirs was worth the trip alone!”