I have been told time and again that it is not suitable for the majority. Pinotage, the wine that was bred in South Africa and actually only became popular there. In the meantime, I also endure the disbelieving to horrified looks of my wine friends when I list Pinotage among my favourite wines or even set a Pinotage up for them. Perhaps it is precisely this that fascinates me so much about wine, its independence, yes, its wilfulness, its otherness (and yet a good wine that is a joy to drink). Back from South Africa, I once again gave myself an account. What is so special, so unique about the wine region of South Africa? Certainly its distinctly juicy, ripe-berry, fruity, powerful wines. But their character is almost always similar (at least with the reds): "Dark cherries, Dominican tobacco, prunes, violets, chocolate, cassis." In other words, wines that go well with a hearty meal and are suitable for a wine-loving gathering. But what I miss - at least with the reds - is their independence, their difference from the majority of the "international" wine offer and (at the moment) predominant wine style: "woodiness and lush heaviness, superficial fruitiness, too much butteriness". This can be found in almost all wine regions of the world. 
The wines may have a majority, but they are becoming more and more similar; their independence and the character of their origin, however, are more and more often smothered in wood, power, fruit, alcohol and complaisance. Assemblages in all variations - almost always in strong imitation of Bordeaux - are offered everywhere as "top wines" of a winery (especially in the "new wine world"). Pinotage is - in South Africa - different, it is not suitable for the majority, it is South African, and it is not "copied" (imitated) everywhere because it simply does not promise enough success. But - this is now confirmed again in the glass. An aroma picture that is just a little different, and yet - once you get used to it - can be incredibly fascinating and good: Dark chocolate and smoke, hints of quince, slightly bitter and yet fruity and full-bodied, in this case very discreet wood; spices: Cinnamon, liquorice, paprika. Simply magnificently different - and yet a wine, an excellent one.