Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the 10th most planted wine grape on the planet and is often referred to as “the heartbreak grape”. Mostly because those who choose to grow it and make wine from it struggle at every turn. And those who love to drink it, could easily remortgage their mother’s home to finance the search for the “perfect” pinot.
Sadly, there is no perfect pinot for everyone. Beauty rests in the glass of the drinker. And, like its white counter part chardonnay, pinot noir can be made into many different guises. From light bodied and lightly coloured to richer examples with dense colour.
Pinot Noir is from the Burgundy region in France. The most sought after pinots come from vineyards with such names as La Tache, Clos de Tart and Musigny. These wines are considered archetypal, but their prices are simply out of reach for most mere mortals. So we search some more. Luckily it is grown all over the world and is unique and distinctive in each region. Including our own backyard in Prince Edward County.
In Central Otago New Zealand, the most southern wine region in the world, pinot noir is highly regarded from many producers.
Over in Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Adelaide Hills in Australia, pinot noir has some similarities, but is still suggestive of each region.
It is showing promise in the southern regions of Argentina, and some spots in Chile. While further north in Sonoma and Willamette in America, is tends to be very expressive.
What all these places have in common is a relatively cool climate where pinot noir can thrive. Too hot and the resulting wine can be high in alcohol and simply not as delicate as it ought to be. It is never as bold as cabernet sauvignon and that is part of its charm.
In the vineyard it is very difficult to grow due to tight compact bunches and thin skin making it susceptible to various diseases, rot and fungus. In fact, the word pinot is a reference to the pine cone as the tight bunch resembles one.
The colour of red wines comes from the skins of the grapes. The thicker the skin, the more colour in the wine. Pinot Noir’s thin skins don’t provide much colour in the wines although some nefarious things can be done to augment this.
During the initial alcoholic fermentation of the wine the skins are macerated with the juice and the resulting wines rely on this time to provide colour, tannins and aromatics from the skins. As a thin-skinned grape, colour and tannins are often less, but the resulting perfume can be beguiling and is in fact part of pinot’s allure.
The range of pinot noirs from around the world could captivate any wine lover. Maybe you can find pinot perfection someplace down a county road.