Any cousin of Pinot Noir is a friend of mine...

Beyerskloof Pinotage 2009, from South Africa, is currently on promotion at Morrisons for £5.49, slightly reduced from £6.49. It’s also available from Sainsburys for £6.79 and is excellent value at any of these prices.

Pinotage is one of the grape varieties that South Africa excels at. Created by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsault, Pinotage has many appealing qualities including a relatively light body with bright red fruits such as cherry and raspberry – similar to Pinot Noir. Pinotage also possesses a slightly earthy nature which can be expressed through its depth of flavour and texture.

Pinot Noir is a perfect match for most lamb dishes as it doesn’t overpower the subtle flavours of the meat. Burgundy in France and Central Otago in New Zealand are the best areas of production for this variety however the wines they produce do tend to be quite pricey. This is where Pinotage is a great choice. Not only do you get many of the characters of Pinot Noir, but it’s usually a lot cheaper!

Perfect as the seasons change with its lighter body and bright red fruits, Pinotage is also excellent served slightly chilled in the warmer months to provide an alternative to crisp white wines.

It can be hard to find wines from South Africa that aren’t part of the big brands such as First Cape, Kumala and KWV. The amount of South African wine being imported to the UK has grown exponentially over the last two years, with big brands accounting for the majority of this growth.

The larger brands often dominate floor displays and promotional bays in supermarkets with their half price and three for £10 deals. It can be easy to think that these wines are pretty much all that South Africa produces. Or at least all that we see in the UK of South African wine.

It is definitely worth scouring the shelves for wines of smaller production from South Africa where many bargains can be had. Chenin Blanc is another wine that they excel at, as well as Sauvignon Blanc from the Constantia region.

So when you’re after a red wine that’s light, bright and really tasty, reach for a Pinotage. Such great value for money and most importantly, delicious!