Pinot Noir is a grape originating from France and grown all over the world. It is mainly produced in France and in the USA, but is now also widespread in Germany, Italy, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand.
It is a varietal that is vinified and consumed as red still wine, or it is vinified as a white and used for the production of excellent Champagne sparkling wines. It is considered a difficult varietal to cultivate due to its delicacy and low yield and, but if treated with the right care, it can give rise to exceptional wines for elegance and complexity of bouquet.
As a red wine it has many varieties and clones with very different characteristics, but in general it gives life to wines of excellent complexity, that are medium-bodied and do not present a very intense red color concentration. An excellent Pinot Noir can therefore have a less intense color than that of a wine made from other grape varieties such as Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz.
Pinot noir's predominant aromas are those of red berries, which can be accompanied by herbaceous, floral (violet), earthy and animal (mushroom, tobacco, leather) hints or by tertiary aromas from barrel aging. European Pinot Noirs have hints of berries reminiscent of more acidic and less ripe fruit, such as cranberries and some strawberries. Pinot Noirs from hot climates (for example the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina), on the other hand, have more pronounced hints of raspberry and ripe cherry.
Try the TasterPlace Red Wine Aromas collection to train yourself to recognize the most characteristic scents of Pinot Noir. Click here.