Expert: Joshua Farrell - 10/23/2009

Question
I am not a wine expert, but I have been asked to speak in front of friends on Pinot Noire wines. I was wondering if you could provide me with some basic information on this type that would be appreciated by a group friends interested in developing the knowledge of wine.

Thanks

Answer
Bruno,

There are a lot of good resources for learning about wine including books, websites, videos, classes. What I can tell you in this this particular forum won't really scratch the surface but here goes. Pinot Noir is the grape grown (and originally from) Burgundy France. It's grape that produces some of the greatest and most collectible wines in the world (Grand Cru Burgundy). It's thin-skinned and lighter in style than Cabernet, Merlot or most of the other popular grape varieties and so it can be difficult to cultivate and needs the right micro-climate. It's a cool climate varietal which it why you see it grown in Oregon, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Northern Italy and the cooler parts of California (and of course Burgundy, which has a cool climate). Unlike most other grape varietals, Pinot Noir is never blended except in very rare instances, because the flavors are so delicate and unique that it needs to stand alone to express itself. There are legions of wine enthusiasts who are completely devoted to Pinot Noir because of it's uniqueness. A few years ago the popular movie "Sideways" created a tidal wave of demand for California Pinot Noir to the point where suppliers could no longer meet it and had to source grapes from France, Italy and South America to fill their bottles. That's a start. Good luck.