The Producer

The Diemersfontein Coffee Pinotage is the wine that taught the Cape to put coffee in its red. Born at Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate in the Groenberg foothills outside Wellington, it poured the first commercial ‘coffee’ Pinotage in 2001 and spawned the barista-style category Wellington is now known for. Three generations of the Sonnenberg family have built the estate into one of the Cape Winelands’ most recognised addresses, and winemaker Francois Roode — at the cellar since 2003 — keeps the style honest vintage after vintage.

Vintage & Terroir

The 2024 season in Wellington brought the warm days and cool False Bay evenings that Pinotage thrives on. Diemersfontein’s vineyards sit in a natural bowl between the Hawequa and Groenberg mountains, where decomposed-granite and clay soils drain well and ripen fruit slowly. Low-yielding bush vines concentrate flavour into small, dark berries — the backbone of this 100% Pinotage.

In the Cellar

The coffee character is made, not added. Roode selects fruit and yeast strains to push roasted, dark-chocolate tones, then introduces heavily toasted oak staves during fermentation and maturation rather than relying on traditional barrels. The wine rests six months on French oak staves, building the velvety texture and espresso-edged depth that define the estate’s signature.

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby with a garnet rim. The nose leads with freshly brewed coffee, dark chocolate and baked plum, lifted by a hint of mint. The palate is full and generous — mocha, dark berry and dried fruit over smooth, ripe tannins, closing on a long, coffee-dusted finish. Approachable now; rewards 3–5 years in the cellar. 14% alcohol; serve at 16–18 °C.

Food Pairing

Made for the braai and the slow cooker. Pour it with sticky lamb ribs, oxtail potjie or a proper bobotie, and it holds its own against aged Gouda or a dark-chocolate dessert. Stock the rack with a case (6 × 750 ml) and keep the Vinty Tribe fed.