It’s believed that its name comes from the word "pine cone" for the coniferous shape of its racemes.
It’s a thousand years older than Cabernet Sauvignon.
Although it’s not limited only to these wine regions, the best-known regions for the production of Pinot Noir are Burgundy in France, Oregon in California and New Zealand.
Pinot Noir has suffered several color mutations over the years; despite maintaining its genetics, it lost the ability to create anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are responsible for the level of intensity in the red color of grapes. This loss of color has resulted in other well-known “Pinots”: Pinot Grigio/Gris and Pinot Blanc/Bianco.
This grape has also been genetically crossed with other grapes several times. For example, the crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault results in the Pinotage grape, very famous in South Africa. The crossing of Pinot Noir with the old Gouais Blanc variety results in the world-famous Chardonnay.
Due to its high acid content and delicate pigmentation, Pinot Noir is highly multi-faceted and maintains the ability to create sparkling, white, rosé and red wines.
Examples:
Author: Maytte Rivera
