1. By: William Crowell-Mackie
Pinot Noir
By: William Crowell-Mackie

2. What is Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is the red wine that originated in Burgundy, France.
It is produced and sold all over the world
It “mutates” meaning that it clones itself into different wines. They call themselves the Pinot family. These include Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, AND Pinot Meunier.

3. History
Pinot Noir dates back to the 4th century in the Burgundy region (Cote d’Or to be exact) of Framce
The early Pinot was known as Morillon Noir
Plantings of the Pinot Noir grapes increased throughout France, but it was Champagne grapes that had the highest increase
In Southwestern France, Pinot Noir is known as Negrette
In Germany, a early ripening version is known as Fuhburgunder and a late ripening is known as Spatburgunder

4. History (Continued)
In Northern Italy, Pinot Noir is known as Blauburgunder in some areas and Pinot Nero in others
In Argentina, Pinot Noir is known as Pinot Negro
In California, Pinot Noir is known as Pinot St. George
Romania has its own subvariety known as Burgund Mare, which has been responsible for some extraordinarily soupy, yet recognizable examples of inexpensive Pinot Noir
In 1997, New Zealand had 1,294 acres of the Pinot grape
Australia had 1,100 acres in 1991 and 1,900 acres in 1997

5. Grape Characteristics
Chameleon-like
Fruity sour taste
Cherry
Strawberries
Plums
As these vines mature, the flavor changes
Chocolate
Game
Figs
Prunes
Smokiness

6. Climate and Growing Conditions
Pinot Noir is an early-ripening variety
Slow ripening in a cool climate suits it, because its berries are particularly sensitive to heat; yet paradoxically, it needs quite a bit of warmth to ripen properly.
Pinot Noir generally produces the best-quality wine on limestone soils

7. Wine Characteristics
Outside of Burgundy, there are other regions that use the Pinot grape to produce lighter red or rose wines
In the Champagne region, the Pinot grape is used when making sparkling wines
In Cote Du Frontonnais, Negrette is used to make wines that are smooth and supple, flavor aspects of strawberry and raspberry
In Switzerland, the Pinot grape is blended with Gamay to make Dole
In Germany, the Pinot grape is used to produce pale, light bodied wines
In Italy, the Pinot grape is used to make Pinot Nero, which is a pale color and has low acidity

8. Wine Characteristics (Cont.)
In South Africa, the Pinot grape is planted in cooler areas and limestone soils are used when planting them.
South Africa’s signature black grape variety is called Pinotage
The Pinot grape in Australia is used when blended with Chardonnay for sparkling wines and fuller fruit
In Martinborough, New Zealand, the Pinot grape is used to make elegant fairly light styles
Marlborough, New Zealand uses stony soils when ripening grapes
In Carneros, wines have wild strawberry flavors
In Russian River Valley, the Pinot Grape is used to make wine with darker, blackberry flavours
In Santa Maria, the Pinot grape is used to make wine weighter, more complex, with cherry and fruit

9. Pairing
Salmon
Pasta Dishes
Duck
Roasted Chicken

10. Fun Facts
Did you know that there are Pinot Noir varieties that last a couple decades and others that won’t last a year
They are smooth and supple
Pinot Noir is transparent
It has minimal tannin. About 12%
Even though Chile has a hot climate, the wine makers are still able to bring out Pinot Noir’s light texture

11. Citations
Herbst, Ron and Sharon Tyler Herbst. “Wine Lover’s Companion”. Hauppauge, New York: Baron’s Educational Series, Inc., Print.
Robinson, Jancis and Julia Harding. “The Oxford Companion to Wine”. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 1994, Print.
Clarke, Oz and Margaret Rand. “Grapes and Wines: The Key to Enjoying Modern Wine”. London, England: Little, Brown and Company (UK), Brettenham House, Lancaster Place, Print.