Thursday Virtual Happy Hour: Pinot Noir
Details
The dominant red wine grape of Burgundy, Pinot Noir is now adopted and adored in wine regions all over the world. The variety's elusive charm has carried it to all manner of vineyards around the world and as of 2016, it was the sixth most-planted grape variety.
As a thin-skinned grape variety, Pinot Noir generally has a moderate to high acidity, a low level of phenolic compounds, low to moderate levels of soft tannins and is generally paler in color than most other red wines.
Red wines range from a pale pinkish red through to the darker tones which an interior designer might recognize as Burgundy. Color and body do not necessarily intensify as price and/or quality rises, and even the deepest examples tend to have an appealing translucence and minimal opacity in the wine's core.
Wine novices can often find it hard to reconcile these aspects of "lightness" with the prices at which Pinot Noir wines are usually sold. Lovers of the grape focus on its aromatic, flavor and textural qualities.
The essence of Pinot Noir wine is its aroma of red berries and cherry (fresh red cherries in lighter wines and stewed black cherries in weightier examples). Many of the more complex examples show hints of forest floor. Well-built Pinot Noirs, particularly from warmer harvests, suggest leather and violets, sometimes recalling Syrah.
More information can be found at Pinot Noir - Explore Top Wines & Regions | Grape Varieties.
We have a choice of videos to watch including:
- https://youtu.be/RfsIWnphtzQ?si=orbwGgZOUoi1ueY0 - A Master Somm's Guide to Pinot Noir - SOMM TV (11:49)
- https://youtu.be/VZHy8cdflrs?si=T-j2r6Iv_CGl4SOE - 7 California PINOT NOIR red WINES to try!!! - Dr. Matthew Horkey (17:30)
- https://youtu.be/ps3j9pmc96s?si=R-SbJvZdXVKQ0b66 - "Pinot Noir" The Holy Grail of Wine - HolyGrailofWine (46:45)
So, pick up a bottle and watch a couple of videos. Let us know what you’re drinking and eating, and, if possible, the region from which your wine comes. Do you have any comments (positive or negative) about the videos? And, as always, tell us what’s going on in your life - what's happening with you, how you're feeling about things, updates, successes, challenges - as much or as little as you’re willing to disclose. We are in this together. And - thank goodness - we have wine!
Cheers!!