Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir, known as Pinot Nero in Italian, is a red wine grape variety, considered to make some of the greatest wines. It it is almost universally agreed to reach its peak in the wines of Burgundy, but is also used in the production of Champagne and is planted in most of the world's wine growing regions for use in both still and sparkling wines. Pinot Noir grown for dry table wines is generally low-yielding and often difficult to grow well. Pinot Noir grown for use in sparkling wines (e.g., Champagne) is generally higher yielding.

Related Topics:
Italian - Wine - Grape - Wines of Burgundy - Champagne

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While Pinot Noir can vary dramatically, the wine tends to be of light to medium body with an aroma reminiscent of black cherry, raspberry or currant. Their colour when young, often compared to that of garnet, is often much lighter than that of other red wines. This is because Pinot Noir has relatively small amounts of red pigment due to its thin skin.

Related Topics:
Aroma - Cherry - Raspberry - Currant

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Generally, Pinot Noir is produced as a red wine, although Pinot Noir is used in the production of most Champagne and some rosé still wines, and even occasional "vin gris" white wines.

Related Topics:
Rosé - Vin gris

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pinot Noir is a challenging grape to grow. Its thin skin makes it highly susceptible to bunch rot and other fungal diseases. The vines themselves are prone to downy mildew in warmer, humid climates. It is for this reason that the most successful Pinot Noir producing regions are in areas with cooler climates.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Originally produced in France, in recent years Pinot Noir has become a popular grape in wines from, amongst other places, California, South Africa, the Okanagan Valley in Canada, New Zealand and Chile, with some of the best regarded coming from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, the Russian River Valley in California, and Martinborough, Waipara, and Central Otago in New Zealand. As a rule, the better pinot noirs are grown in climates at the colder end of the spectrum for wine growing.

Related Topics:
France - California - South Africa - Okanagan Valley - Canada - New Zealand - Chile - Willamette Valley - Oregon - Russian River Valley - Martinborough - Waipara - Central Otago

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pinot Noir is very prone to mutation. The widely used varieties Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier are also relatives of Pinor Noir. As of 1990, there were some 46 clones of Pinot Noir widely used in France. This compared to only 32 clones of the much more widely planted Cabernet Sauvignon.

Related Topics:
Pinot Gris - Pinot Blanc - Pinot Meunier - Clones - Cabernet Sauvignon

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In South Africa, Pinot Noir has been spliced with the Cinsaut grape to make a unique variety Pinotage.

Related Topics:
South Africa - Cinsaut - Pinotage

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~