Cinsau(l)t
APPEARANCE
ON THE VINE: Large bunches and quite compact clusters that are conical in shape. The berries are a dark, inky blue – also large and with a distinctive ‘powdery’ bloom on the skin.
IN THE GLASS: It can range from a light blush-pink colour in the case of rosés to a deep, inky ruby red.
SMELL
Ranges from fruity and jammy to rather meaty and beefy. Sometimes candyfloss, spice (cinnamon) and nuts.
TASTE
Raspberry, jelly babies, sugarwater. A versatile grape that produces wines low in tannin, it can be used to make a range of styles, from delicate rosé to a dry red varietal, blend or port.
ORIGIN
In France, where it’s spelled Cinsau(l)t, it’s grown mainly in the south, from Provençe to the Midi.
IN SOUTH AFRICA
The variety was imported from the south of France in the mid 19th century and, until the late 20th century, it was the single most widely planted red cultivar at a time when it was better known as Hermitage. Cinsau(l)t is used chiefly as a blending component – with Merlot and Shiraz, for example, or with Cabernet Sauvignon – but the exceptionally high sugar levels attained in some areas make it a good base for port-style wines. It owes its popularity among farmers to its ability to withstand hot growing conditions. Tassenberg and Chateau Libertas, two of South Africa's biggest red wine brands, both started life as blends including Cinsau(l)t as an ingredient.
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
In France, Cinsau(l)t is grown from Provençe to the Midi and, mainly, in the southern Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon vineyards, where it makes robust wines. Best results are obtained when it is blended, as happens at Châteauneuf-du-Pape for example.
AGEING POTENTIAL
Can range from immediately accessible easy drinking wines to those where Cinsau(l)t has been teamed with a heavier, more serious grape like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, with resultant good cellaring potential.
MATCHING WITH FOOD
Red meat, stir fries, pasta with meat sauces, heavy soups (French onion, ham and pea), beef Stroganoff and pizza.
SERVING TEMPERATURE
Lighter Cinsau(l)ts and Cinsau(l)t blends: 12–16° C. Full-bodied Cinsau(l)ts and Cinsau(l)t blends: 16–18° C.