Scions of Sinai is the work of winemaker Bernhard Bredell, a project dedicated to preserving the old-vine heritage sites of the Lower Helderberg region within Stellenbosch, South Africa. Rather than following the region's more commercial, extraction-driven approach to Pinotage, Bredell works to show the variety's aromatic and structural side, treating each historic block as a distinct expression of place. His winemaking leans on gentle handling and minimal intervention, letting the vineyard do the talking.

Feniks (the Afrikaans word for Phoenix) comes from a single dry-farmed bush-vine block planted in 1976 on decomposed granite soils near False Bay, where cool sea breezes moderate the heat of the growing season. In the cellar, Bredell incorporates whole clusters and ages the wine in neutral vessels, avoiding new oak entirely so the site's granite-driven minerality and the variety's naturally high-toned aromatics come through unobscured. The result is a Pinotage that trades the grape's usual weight and smoky richness for the kind of lift and transparency more commonly associated with cru Beaujolais or Northern Rhône Syrah.

Why You'll Love It

• Reimagines Pinotage as a light-footed, aromatic red rather than the dense, oak-driven style the grape is best known for.
• Grown on a single 1976 bush-vine block, one of the oldest surviving Pinotage plantings in the Lower Helderberg.
• Opens with wild cranberry, rooibos tea, and crushed dried rose petal, followed by pomegranate and a whisper of smoky graphite.
• Bright acidity and fine-grained tannins give it real cut and energy on the palate.
• A red built for the table, versatile enough to move between poultry, pork, and spiced dishes.

How To Serve It

• Serve with a slight chill, between 56°F and 60°F, to keep its crunchy berry character front and center.
• Give it 20 to 30 minutes in a decanter to let the floral and spice notes fully open up.
• Pour into burgundy stems, which give the wine's high-toned aromatics room to develop.
• Pan-seared duck breast, roasted pork tenderloin, or a spiced lamb tagine all make excellent partners.