Celebrate International Pinot Noir Day

Celebrate International Pinot Noir Day

Elegant, fickle, and remarkably versatile, Pinot Noir is well worth celebrating! Today is International Pinot Noir Day, the day to celebrate this darling of the red wine world. Born in Burgundy, and now grown throughout the world as the globe’s 6th most planted grape variety, Pinot Noir is incredibly adept at expressing a deep sense of place and reflecting individual terroir like no other. And yet, it’s a tricky grape to grow – the grape’s thin skin makes it especially susceptible to pests and disease, and a cool-climate affinity can make optimum ripeness levels elusive in some vintages.

Pinot Noir 101

For those that persevere, Pinot rewards with vibrant natural acidity, remarkable red fruit character, and moderate alcohol levels. These celebrity characteristics also give Pinot Noir incredible versatility for food-pairing. In fact, many Pinot fans tout the grape as the most food-friendly red wine on the planet (we tend to agree), ready to go with everything from pizza to duck confit, and all sorts of foodie favorites in between. This is the quintessential Thanksgiving Day wine, ready to roll with literally everything on the traditional table.

Old World vs New World Pinot Noir – It’s definitely “a thing.”

In the wine world, “Old World” refers to grapes grown throughout Europe (for centuries), the motherland of winemaking. The “New World” is essentially everywhere else – but is dominated by vineyards in the US, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These relative “newcomers” to the viticulture scene tend to deliver wines that showcase a bolder style, often accompanied by more forward fruit, higher alcohol levels, more body and overall, an increase in intensity and concentration, thanks in part to the typically warmer growing climates. In contrast, Old World wines steer lean with more subtle styles, showing elevated elegance, and restraint in both fruit expression, body, and alcohol levels. Take Burgundy for example, a region where Pinot Noir was first cultivated by Cistercian monks during the Middle Ages. Burgundian Pinot Noir (known simply as “red Burgundy”) classically expresses more earth-driven and floral nuances than obvious ripe fruit character. The opposite often shows in the glass of a Central Coast California Pinot Noir, which brings more color intensity and the delicious flavors of raspberry, strawberry, and cherry usually with a wisp of oak-induced vanilla, thanks to warmer temperatures and more sunshine during the growing season.

DIY Old World vs New World Tasting

There is nothing that shows the difference between an Old-World vs New World wine quite like a side-by-side comparative tasting. Gather friends and pop the corks on these two Wine World favourites to see, smell and taste the extroverted personality of the New World Pinot Noir ambassador, Imagery Pinot Noir and compare with the more introverted, subtle, and ultra-elegant style of this Old-World classic, Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir. Similarly priced, but wildly different in terms of style, terroir, and expression, it’s easy to see how Joseph Drouhin brings an earthy, minerality with subtle fruit character while, Imagery Pinot highlights bright cherry and raspberry with toasty oak and warm spice nuances.

Imagery California Pinot Noir

Country: USA
Region: California

Balanced and smooth, this Pinot Noir has layered notes of jammy-strawberry, cherry and boysenberry. The fruit flavours are enriched by well integrated oak and blended with 5% Petit Verdot to achieve a substantial body.

Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir Bourgogne

Country: France
Region: Burgundy

Aromas of mostly red fruit including cranberry and just a touch of green. Easy to drink with fresh red fruit flavours, soft tannins, good balance and good acidity. Very smooth with a nice spice component that reveals itself at the end and leads into a lingering finish. Pairs well with grilled chicken and pesto pasta.