Pinot Noir - wine grape variety

Pinot Noir is the variety used in the superior red wines of Burgundy and one of the principal Champagne varieties. Plantings in France increased from 8500 ha to 17 300 ha between 1958 and 1979 and reached 22 000 ha by 1988. It is one of the few black varieties ripening early enough to succeed in the coolest viticultural areas such as those of Germany and Switzerland. It is grown in practically every country in which wine grapes are grown, usually not extensively and only in the cooler areas such as the north of Italy or the coastal valleys of California. By 1992 more than 3700 ha had been planted in California and more than 1300 ha in Australia.

Pinot Noir is a very old and variable variety and a progression can be seen from vines similar to the wild grapes that grew in Europe before cultivation to high-yielding selections | sometimes thought to show less varietal character in the wine. There are about thirty different recognised clones in Australia with observable differences in growth habit, bunch shape and so on. It is quite possible that some clones will be better adapted to particular areas and this will need to be taken into account when evaluating the variety.

Pinot Noir is not vigorous and takes some years to develop vines of a reasonable size. Some clones show more upright growth than others. The leaves are small to medium, usually almost entire, but sometimes deeply 5-lobed on water shoots or unfruitful vines. They are rough, tend to fold inwards about the midrib and have a few tufts of hair on the lower surface. The bunches are small, cylindrical and winged, and because they are very compact the small, short oval berries are often pressed out of shape. Several clones with less compact bunches have been selected in Switzerland for use in areas where bunch rot is a problem. Even for selected clones yields are only moderate.

The colour of wines from Pinot Noir is never intense and fruit from hot areas may make uninteresting wines lacking in colour and flavour. However, in cool areas the wines have a distinctive varietal flavour which is highly esteemed.