Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grapes in the world, dating back to Roman times. It’s nearly 1,000 years older than the well-loved Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine making goes back to 1 A.D. in France, and Pinot Noir was one of the first grapes used. It was the Catholic monks in the Middle Ages who really started planting vineyards and perfecting wine making methods. The grapes were cultivated for wines used by the church and the aristocratic Dukes of the region. The French Revolution gave the lands back to the people. Most of the vineyards are still owned by the original families and have become smaller and smaller parcels as the family tree branches. You’ll find Burgundy to be one of the areas most talked about when the discussion of terroir comes up.
Because of DNA testing, it is now understood that Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc are color mutations of Pinot Noir. Did you know? There is a white wine made from the Pinot Noir grape, where the juice from inside, which is white, is not left in contact with the purple skin, so you end up with a white wine. Beware, this is different than a Pinot Blanc – that mutated grape – and not all wine merchants know the difference.
The name Pinot Noir literally means Black Pine. The name comes from the dark color, and the fact that the clusters are tight and simulate a pine cone. In France, the region we now know as Burgundy was once, 200 million years ago, part of a vast tropical sea. The soils left behind are limestone and clay with rich minerals, and this is the hallmark of Burgundian wine.
Where you find Pinot Noir growing, you’ll also find Chardonnay doing well. This could be because they are related. The nearly extinct Gouais Blanc is as old as Pinot Noir, the crossing of these two grapes gave us the delicious Chardonnay.
Pinot Noir prefers cooler climates, and is grown most in France, then the US, with Germany close behind. In the US, the majority of the Pinot Noir is coming from California, with Oregon as a close second.
Pinot Noir yields flavors ranging from cherry and raspberry to mushroom and hibiscus with hints of vanilla. These wines will be medium bodied, with medium-low tannins and medium-high acidity. Wine makers often use whole cluster fermentation to increase the tannins of this grape. Serving Pinot Noir in a class to capture the aromas will increase the complexity of the wine. Some easy nibbles to pair with these wines to bring out some added flavors are a ginger cookie, marcona almonds, and cinnamon coated almonds. For dinner, consider serving one of these wines with a pork loin with a blackberry sauce, or cream of mushroom soup.