Overview To Sampling Wine
The fundamentals of tasting red wine are reasonably straightforward to find out. As soon as the basics are understood, the nuances and details can be enhanced over a lifetime. Like any kind of various other skill, More »
Red Wine Types
Red wine has a lot of different types, among which, the most popular include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Moreover, More »
Category Archives: Pinot Noir
New Zealand Wine
New Zealand wine is a wine unlike any other due to its climate, soil, and water. New Zealand vineyards are grown in a maritime climate. The sea controls the climate creating cooler winters and hotter summers; this also means that there are warmer clearer days and cooler nights from the sea breeze, creating slow ripening environments which create unique tastes. Also most of New Zealand’s vineyards are located in free draining alluvial valleys. These deposits make up most of New Zealand’s mountains. These deposits create the different quality characteristics in the wine, and these are often mentioned on the wine label.
New Zealand wines production started as late as 1970, as before this there were hardly any grapes planted on the island. New Zealand now has ten main wine growing regions. These are scatted throughout New Zealand and each has their own variety in climate and environment. The difference in the environment and climate means that the different types of the same wine can be harvested throughout a variation of 8 weeks throughout the country. The main winery regions are Northland, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Auckland, Walkato, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Nelson, Canterbury/Waipara Valley, and Central Otago.
Northland was the first place in New Zealand where vines were planted in 1820. However it is still New Zealand’s smallest wine producing area, as winemaking nearly died out here until a bigger interest within winemaking which has developed in the recent years. Northland is now expanding rapidly with three grape growing areas Kaitaia, around the bay of the islands, and near Northlands biggest city Whangarei. The high popularity for the regions wines Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay, come from the fact it offers New Zealand’s warmest ripening conditions, therefore these are the most planted grapes within this area. Vineyards within Northland are mainly planted upon flat and slight slowing topography. The soils within Northland vary from shallow clay soils over sandy-clay soils.
Gisborne offers vineries the world’s most easterly vineyard planting point. These vineyards are the first to see the sun each morning and this region receives a high amount of sunshine hours accompanied by shelter from New Zealand’s range of mountains to the west. Chardonnay makes up about half of the regions vineyards and Gisborne has been renamed the Chardonnay capital of the world by its wine makers. The vineyards here are mainly planted on flat land and the soils include alluvial loams over sandy and volcanic subsoil.
Hawkes Bay is the second largest vinery region in New Zealand. This region offers a large range of soil types from fertile silty loams to free draining sand, and stones to heavy silts. Ripening dates within this area for one wine can vary by 4 weeks, from the hot soils of the lower areas, to a higher cooler altitude of central Hawkes Bay. Chardonnay again here is the most planted grape, but Hawkes Bays lengthy sunshine hours mean that later ripening red grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, are also popular here.
Auckland is New Zealand’s more traditional winemaking area. Here Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay are the most planted grapes. The Auckland regions soils are mainly shallow clays over hard silty-clay subsoil.
Waikato south of Auckland offers smaller vineyards that are scattered among farmland. Wine production here is mainly of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The soils here are of heavy loams over clay subsoil. The climate here is moderately warm, as Waikato is situated highly north within New Zealand.
Pinot Noir is Wairarapa’s most planted grape. This is the regions most acclaimed grape. The success of this grape comes from the development, the quality, and the focus which the regions wine makers have put in. Although this region is small in terms of wine production, the quality of the wines produced keeps New Zealand’s wine quality reputation very high.
In the hot days, and the cooler night climate and free-draining alluvial loams over gravely subsoils provides Marlborough’s vineyards, which produce great fruit flavours. The world has been exposed to its brand new style and taste of Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Riesling are also widely planted within this region. Marlborough wines have earned a great reputation from Sauvignon Blanc, and have also become New Zealand’s largest and most known wine growing region. Sparkling wines, and a wide range of white and red wine is also produced here.
Nelsons vineyards consist of the grape varieties which are best grown in cooler temperatures. Situated on the west cost the mountains, the west to this region provides a rain shadow effect, and also the coastline helps moderate the temperatures. Here Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir are mainly produced in this area.
In Canterbury there are two main areas for the wine production. These are around the city of Christchurch, and the newer development of Waipara. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc make up most of the vineyards, and Canterbury is NZs fourth largest wine region.
Central Otago is the world’s most southerly wine growing region. It has a continental climate with more extreme seasons than any of New Zealand’s regions. The soils have heavy deposits of mica minerals and schists in silt loams. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling are mainly grown here. Central Otago is a beautiful region, with pure fresh air, and vibrant views. The wine of Central Otago is said to reflect the stunning area.
Find More Pinot Noir Wine Articles
A Wine Lover’s Weekly Guide To $10 Wines – A Pinot Noir From South Africa
We have reviewed several South African wines lately, and many of them have been quite successful. Pinot Noir can be a fine grape; I often am fond of it. I like its classic tastes of earth and mushrooms and the fact that it isn’t very tannic. And it’s considered food-friendly. The site where it’s made is fantastic, at the conjunction of the Pacific and the Indian ocean. It’s not only beautiful (what vineyard isn’t?) but it’s said to be a winemaker’s dream. On the down side, Pinot Noir is not usually at its best in South Africa.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Two Oceans Pinot Noir 2008 13.1% alcohol about $ 9.50 Let’s begin by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : Pale ruby color with a slight hint of garnet; aromas of blueberry, cherry, and earth; dry, medium bodied, with flavors of toasty oak, and raspberry on the long smoky finish. Serving Suggestion : Serve with roast chicken or duck. And now for my review.
At the first sips the wine was almost mouth filling, with touches of earth. Its first pairing was with a ready-made chicken potpie. The wine was thick, earth tasting, and quite short but there was the taste of the underbrush. When I added zesty green jalapeno pepper sauce the Pinot Noir gained in roundness and perhaps length.
The next meal involved chicken meatballs and a barbecued chicken leg with a black bean, corn, chickpea, and pimento salad. This time the wine was almost hefty; it was fairly dark with lots of chocolate and good length.
My final meal was composed of hamburgers, green beans in a tomato sauce, and a salad described below. The wine was dark and had a slight aftertaste. There were dark cherries but no tannins. It was stronger with the green beans but the aftertaste remained. With the accompanying red, yellow, and orange plum and cherry tomatoes and basil leaves this Pinot Noir had a touch of harshness and not much flavor.
I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. With a virtually tasteless brick cheese the wine did not have much taste. So in a way, it was a balanced pairing. With a somewhat stronger yellow cheddar the wine perked up a bit and I tasted some oak.
Final verdict. I do not intend to buy this wine again. While it did manage some fairly good wine pairings it was far from consistent. And with all the inexpensive wines on the market that just isn’t good enough.
I Love Australian Wine – A Pinot Noir From Southeastern Australia
This is our second review of Australian wine in only a few weeks. You may realize that Australia is a major wine exporter in particular supplying the United States and the United Kingdom. While this wine was bottled in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales in Australia’s southwest, the grapes come from the Geographical Indication of Beechworth in New South Wales neighbor, Victoria. Beechworth was once a great place to dig for gold and is now considered a fine wine region, especially for Chardonnay and fortified wines. If money is no object search out Giaconda’s wines, including their Pinot Noir.
Wine Reviewed Pinot Noir New South Wales (Brokenwood Winery) 2005 14.0% alcohol about $ 20 There were no marketing materials so I’ll quote the back label. “This Pinot Noir is sourced from Victoria’s exciting Beechworth region, in the lower region of the Alpine Valleys. A very hot, dry season giving concentrated flavors… This is a ripe style with background French Oak and sappy/cherry Pinot fruit. The palate has strawberry flavors and lingering soft tannins. Drink over the short term with duck and Asian dishes. Our wines are now sealed with screw cap to guarantee quality and consistency.” Re screw caps: I want to mention that when I used adjustable pliers the bottle opened nicely. And now for my review.
At the first sips the wine was quite powerful with good length and tobacco but no tannins. Its first pairing was with an over dry commercially barbecued chicken breast but its paprika-dusted skin was nice and moist. This Pinot Noir was very present with some chocolate. With the tastier chicken leg it was excessively acidic. On the upside, this wine was chewy and mouth filling. Once again there was tobacco and no tannins.
The next meal involved a middle-eastern specialty known as kube, ground beef in crushed bulgar jackets accompanied by Swiss Chard and a slightly sour, delicious broth. This Pinot Noir was thick. I even got a taste of tar and black licorice. There was a lot of body but, at the risk of repetition, there were no tannins. They didn’t seem to be missing. I tasted dark fruit, especially black cherries. I finished the meal with smoked almonds and tasted tobacco and some earth.
My final meal involved fatty beef ribs cooked slowly with soft wheat kernels and accompanied by a moderately spicy guacamole. The Pinot Noir was round and thick with a lot of oak and a good length. Its acidity worked well with the meat’s grease. Not only the meat was chewy and it presented black, black cherries. The wine retained some power and all of its length when paired with the guacamole.
Before starting on the traditional two cheeses I enjoyed some Matjes herring. The wine was long, balanced, and mouth filling. The herring did not get in the way. A local Provolone actually weakened this Pinot Noir at first its acidity became slightly harsh. A tastier Swiss slightly weakened the wine, which was still powerful and long, oaky with the taste of tobacco.
Final verdict. This wine is definitely worth buying again and again. Next time I won’t waste it on the cheese. And maybe someday I’ll try Giaconda’s offerings. You’ll be the first to know.
What Kind of Wine is Pinot Noir?
Pinot Noir [pee-no nwahr] wines are world famous and grown world-wide. It is both the name of a wine grape and the name of a red wine. And, it is a notoriously difficult grape to grow and wine to make. And, like all red wines, this wine has demonstrated health benefits when consumed in moderation. Also, Pinot has four times the compound resveratrol than other red wines-a compound shown to improve quality of life in laboratory animals.
The Places
Keep in mind that although most New World wine labels will list the grapes in the wine, many Old World wine labels only list the place. The most famous Old World place for Pinot Noir is the Burgundy region of France (in French: Bourgogne [boohr-go-ny]). But you’ll also find Pinot wines from Italy (where it’s called Pinot Nero [pee-no neh-(l)ro]) and Germany (where it’s called Spätburgunder [spayt-boo(r)-g(oo)n-deh(r)].
In the New World, you can find many of these wines from the USA, Chile, and New Zealand. Less common, Australia, Argentina, and South Africa produce fine wines from this grape as well. The Willamette Valley in Oregon produces world-class wines of this varietal. Its relatively cool climate and rolling hills mimic the terrior [the-hrwahr] (soil, geography, climate, etc.) of Burgundy allowing this finicky grape to fully mature and a cool region for the wine to properly ferment and age.
Perhaps because Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult wine to make, prices of the wine are sometimes quite high; especially from famous regions like Burgundy, France or Willamette Valley, Oregon. Look for value-priced wines from New Zealand and Chile. They make some great wines without the “great” (high) prices!
The Grape
Of all commercial wine grapes, this grape is the most susceptible to common wine grape diseases and maladies including frost, mold, and rot. It has a relatively thin skin making the berries vulnerable. This thin skin also affects the wine making process.
The grape vines are just as finicky as the grapes. They tend to be thin and are prone to mildew, mold, viruses and are susceptible to a variety of grape vine pests.
Due to the sensitivity of the Pinot Noir vine and grape, there are perhaps a thousand clone varieties worldwide. Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, which only has about a dozen clone varieties, Pinot is one of the most diverse wine grapes in the world.
The Wine
As mentioned, the grape has a relatively thin skin. Since the color in red wine comes from the skins of the grape (the juice is lightly colored to almost clear), it can be difficult to achieve and keep the expected red color through the wine making process. Wine makers usually intensify the color by drawing off some of the juice after the grapes are crushed in order to increase the ratio of wine skins to juice during a process called maceration (soaking the juice with the skins, seeds, and stems). Wine makers must also pay close attention during fermentation and aging to avoid a loss of color before (and after) bottling.
Single varietal Pinot Noir wines (those not blended with other grape varietals) have several classic attributes:
A light red color
Aromas and flavors of cherry or strawberry
Often earthy aromas such as mushrooms or what is often called “barnyard” (in other words, it may stink!)
Acidity that is well balanced by fruit flavors and light tannins in the best wines.
Like all wines, the aromas and flavors can vary significantly from vineyard to vineyard, wine maker to wine maker, and vintage to vintage.
Pairing With Food
Because Pinot Noir wines have lighter body with complex aromas and flavors, they best compliment foods that won’t overwhelm the wine. Grilled or broiled salmon, prime rib, lamb and duck are all great meat choices. Any mushroom dish works really well. But go lightly on the spices which may mask the delicate flavors.
Although the grapes are difficult to grow and the wine making process finicky, several regions of the world produce amazing Pinot Noir wines that are great with food or just with friends and conversation. Many also age well; ask a knowledgeable wine steward for an age-worthy wine before purchasing one for that purpose.
Pinot Noir: A Fine Wine
One of the finest wines is the Pinot Noir from the Burgundy Region of France. Of course it goes without saying that this wine is produced in many parts of the world now but the original Pinot Noir comes from Burgundy in France and the vintages made from the burgundy wines are rather expensive. The burgundy based Pinot Noir is one of the most complex red wines and the grape producing this wine is extremely difficult to grow.The Pinot Noir Grape thrives in cooler climates. Cool climates, with ocean breezes, early morning mist and fog, all affect the Pinot Noir grape and affect the taste of the final bottled product. Possible because of the fact these grapes are easily affected by the climate and thrive in cold weather; well grown Pinot Noir grapes create a wine that is lighter in color as compared to the normal full-body red wine. And it may be possible that it is this light color and delicate flavor and texture that attract the Pinot Noir fans to this fine wine.The light and delicate wine has a very soft texture that tastes almost the same as a piece of silk on the body. Depending upon where the Pinot Noir grape was grown, it can also have many flavors including earthy, spicy, herbal, floral, cherry and even light tannin flavors. red winesuits all people from the regular wine drinker to the new wine drinker as well and is a perfect accompaniment to any meal. The kind of wine it is, the Pinot Noir can also be paired easily with any kind of food but generally goes best with Seafood, Beef, Fowl, vegetarian dishes, mushrooms and more. Pinot Noirs are best served in the large balloon like burgundy glasses. These glasses allow for a lot of swirling around and the aroma that spreads amplifies the taste of this beautiful Wine.