Pinot Noir

Question 1

Characteristics

Answer 1

• A thin skin black grape
• Pale - medium colour
• High acidity
• Low to medium tannins
• Red-fruit flavours (strawberry, raspberry, red cherry)
• Subtle oak-derived aromas (smoke, cloves)
• Some develop complex tertiary flavours (forest floor, mushroom) in the bottle

Question 2

Terroir

Answer 2

Cool to moderate climates

Question 3

Winemaking

Answer 3

• Mostly produced as a single-varietal wine
• Often matured in older/larger oak barrels

Question 4

France

Regions

Answer 4

Burgundy
Burgundy is the home - South and south-east facing slopes produce Premier cru and grand cru

Bourgogne AOC
* Light - medium bodies
* Low tannins
* High acidity
* Fresh red-fruit flavours
* Drunk while young

Côte d’Or (Village wines)
* Côte de Nuits - Gevrey-Chambertin AOC, Nuits-Saint-Georges AOC
* Côte de Beaune - Beaune AOC, Pommard AOC

Question 5

USA

Regions

Answer 5

California
* Carneros (Northern California) - Cooled by morning fogs
* Sonoma (Western California) - Cooled by Pacific Ocean breezes
* Santa Barbara County (California Central Coast) - cooled by sea breezes
* Ripe red-fruit flavours (strawberry, red cherry) and notable vanilla flavours from oak.

Oregon
* Very good and outstanding quality
* Develop tertiary flavours with bottle age - earth, mushroom

Question 6

Chile

Regions

Answer 6

Casablanca Valley
* Cooled by fogs and sea breezes
* Often have flavours of cooked strawberries
* Excellent value for money

Question 7

South Africa

Regions

Answer 7

Walker Bay
Very good and outstanding

Question 8

Australia

Regions

Answer 8

Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula
* Cooked red-fruit flavours (red plum, strawberry)
* Medium tannins

Question 9

New Zealand

Regions

Answer 9

The premier black grape variety
Martinborough, Marlborough
Cool to moderate climates

Central Otago
* Ripest and most powerfully flavoured Pinot Noir
* Sea breezes and rains
* Medium to full body
* Medium tannins
* Required a few years of bottle age