The Family Tree

Where in the world is your Pinot?

Pinot Noir: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Canada (Ontario, BC, Nova Scotia), Chile, France (Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace, Loire Valley, south of France), Germany, Italy (northeast), New Zealand, South Africa, USA (California, Oregon) Pinot Blanc: France, Germany, Italy (northeast), Austria, Hungary, USA (California, Oregon) Pinot Gris/Grigio: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France (Alsace), Germany, Hungary, Italy (northeast), Canada (Okanagan, Niagara), New Zealand, USA (California, Oregon) Pinot Meunier: Canada (Nova Scotia), France (Champagne), Germany, Austria, Australia

The Heartbreaker: Pinot Noir

By Ricki-Lee Podolecki

In the Pinot family, Pinot Noir is the head of the household. Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are mutations of Pinot Noir, thus they are actually all the same variety but with different expressions. The grape has always held a superior place in the wine world. It all starts in its birthplace, Burgundy, where Pinot Noir’s main purpose is to highlight the vineyards it grows in and show off the unique terroir of the region. One site in an absolute premium position, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, produces a single-vineyard Grand Cru Romanée-Conti wine that costs upwards of US$ 20,000 per bottle. It’s basically impossible to get your hands on, and even if you do happen to see one for sale, for many, weighing the options of buying a brand new car or a bottle of wine would be difficult. Pinot Noir has also had its Hollywood moment: its popularity in the mainstream surged in 2004 because of the movie Sideways, where the main character gushed over his love for Pinot Noir.

Wine professionals everywhere love Pinot Noir, but this beautiful wine has a dark side: it has been hailed as “the heartbreak grape.” Pinot Noir’s unfortunate nickname stems from its high-maintenance reputation in the vineyards and the winery. The thin skins of Pinot Noir are tricky to maintain while it is growing, often breaking open and causing rot and disease that spoil the fruit. It truly is heartbreaking

when vineyard teams work tirelessly day and night to grow stunning fruit for a winemaker, and then, in the last stretch of harvest, the grapes succumb to nature. Winemakers also experience Pinot Noir’s fussy nature when they start the winemaking process. The slightest mistake on the part of winemaking teams can lead to the tragedy of oxidized characteristics that hide all of Pinot Noir’s delicate flavours. Knowing how difficult Pinot Noir can be, why would anyone in their right mind go through the trouble of making it? It’s because when everything goes right in this relationship, you end up with everlasting love. Yes, this relationship is very onesided, but the result of everyone’s patience with Pinot Noir can be extraordinary.

Pinot Noir is a romantic wine with flavours that often resemble fresh red fruit, forest floor, oak spice, and the occasional floral lift. It’s easy to fall in love with a wellmade bottle. Many wine lovers—like myself—have come across a bottle of Pinot Noir that makes them feel that schoolyard first love, and from then on, we chase that feeling.

I have fallen in love with two amazing wines from two very different regions that are the result of everything going right. The first was the 2017 Maison Harbour CharmesChambertin Grand Cru from Burgundy, which only produced 271 bottles. This wine showcases the elegance and prestige that result from a lot of care and patience. My other love is the 2017 Sonoma Coast Moone Tsai, a bold style of Pinot Noir destined for greatness after a few years in the bottle. This little heartbreaker is worth it. I can’t help but support the incredible teams that are making these wines: I have to keep chasing that first love feeling....

Celebrate International Pinot Noir Day on August 18! We recommend the Claude Vialade 2019 Elegance 43.74 Nord Pinot Noir from Languedoc-Roussillon, France ($21.99).

• Peter Max 2019 Crystallum Western Cape, South Africa ($42.99) • Trentham Estate 2019 River Retreat New South Wales, Australia ($13.99) • Maison Harbour 2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Burgundy,

France ($394.99) • Moone Tsai 2017 Corinne Sonoma Coast, USA ($189.99) • Thörle 2017 Rheinhessen, Germany ($24.99) • Ventisquero 2018 Reserva Casablanca Valley, Chile ($15.99)

AKA: Red Burgundy, Spätburgunder (Germany), Pinot Nero (Italy)

STYLE: The structure of Pinot Noir wine generally shows high acidity, medium to light body due to silky soft tannins, medium to low alcohol, and is made in a dry style (not sweet). Its flavours are mostly comprised of red fruits, such as cherries and strawberries; notes of forest floor and mushroom; and elegant floral components, tied together with oak’s vanilla toast and spice.

PERSONALITY: You can drink me at any special occasion or just on a weeknight with a really great dinner. I’m the popular Pinot and not shy about it.

DID YOU KNOW…

• Pinot Noir is one of three main varieties that go into the production of Champagne. • Because it is so precious in Burgundy, and hail is a common issue there, many vineyards install hail cannons/rockets that break apart clouds to prevent damage to the vines. • There are over 50 clones of Pinot Noir, each creating a slightly different style of Pinot Noir, depending on the winemaker’s preference. Clones 375 and 386 are most commonly used in Champagne, whereas other clones may be more heat resistant and are planted in warmer climates.

PAIR WITH: Classic pairings include duck confit, salmon, mushroom-based dishes, and root vegetables. Pinot Noir is a versatile food wine, but it really shines when paired with savoury, earthy dishes.

Team Player: Pinot Meunier

By Sylvia Jansen

A black (red) grape variety, lighter in colour and tannins than Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier is said to be in the top 10 varieties grown in France—but it definitely does not get top-10 billing. Pinot Meunier is almost unknown in the rest of the wine world, but in northern France, it is best known as one of the three main varieties in Champagne.

It is a reliable variety in the vineyard and ripens well, even in cooler or more northerly facing spots (particularly along the Marne River). Despite its reliability in the vineyard and in the winery, few producers trumpet their quality Pinot Meunier, which means that, like its sister Pinot Blanc, Meunier does not really get the respect it deserves.

• Laherte Freres nv Extra Brut

Rosé Champagne, France ($78.99) • Krug nv Grande Cuvée

Champagne, France ($448.99) • Benjamin Bridge 2016 Rosé

Nova Scotia, Canada ($56.99)

AKA: Meunier, Müller-rebe and Schwarzriesling (Germany)

STYLE: Pinot Meunier contributes fruit, freshness, and sometimes an earthy depth to Champagne.

PERSONALITY: I know I hardly ever show up to the party on my own, but I am really worth getting to know. I want you to look for my beautiful nature in a good bottle of sparkling. I have some real finesse.

PAIR WITH: The possibilities are endless, but try grilled salmon, or a beautiful tray of cheeses with brie or époisses garnished with an array of summer fruits.

Party Time: Pinot Gris

By Mike Muirhead

From Pinot Gris to Pinot Grigio, this branch of the family has always had some “grey” areas in establishing its own distinctive style. This Pinot Noir mutation presents itself as a regular bunch of Pinot Noir interspersed with white grapes and lighter-skinned Pinot Noir—more purple than black. In Alsace, it is prized as a “noble variety” that creates some sublime Grand Cru wines, whereas, in Italy, it is often relegated as an “everyday drinker” without a lot of complexity. Some producers in Alsace also produce very elegant sweet wines from Pinot Gris. A Vendange Tardive Pinot Gris (late vintage) from Paul Blanck in Alsace is still one of my defining wine moments.

While often prized in Alsace, France, and consumed without a care in Italy, Pinot Gris has seen a huge surge in the last 10 years. Why has it been so popular? It is easy: not too acidic, not too aromatic, not too alcoholic (in most cases). It is the Goldilocks wine: juuuust right.

• Thörle 2018 Grauburgunder

Rheinhessen, Germany ($23.99) • Terlan 2018 Pinot Grigio Trentino-

Alto Adige, Italy ($28.99) • Blue Mountain 2019 Pinot Gris

Okanagan Valley, Canada ($31.99)

Fashionably Late: Pinot Blanc

By Tina Jones

This beautiful white variety does not get the respect it deserves. It is a mutation of Pinot Gris, which is a mutation of Pinot Noir—which is why we might see them all in similar places. In Burgundy, where it is said to have begun, there are a few plantings (yes, it is technically allowed in a few Burgundy appellations).

Pinot Blanc is also one of the approved varieties in Champagne (although there are tiny, tiny quantities grown there). One of the only—and perhaps the most iconic—Pinot Blanc Champagnes comes from our own Roses de Jeanne: La Bolorée Champagne. It is a special treat!

• Zinck 2016 Portrait Alsace,

France ($24.99) • Terlan 2016 Vorberg Alto Adige,

Italy ($54.99) • Judith Beck 2019 Neusiedlersee,

Austria ($25.99) • Roses de Jeanne nv La Bolorée

Champagne, France ($219.99)

AKA: Pinot Bianco (Italy), Weissburgunder (Germany)

STYLE: Its lovely Golden Delicious apple character, great body, and balanced acidity can be incredibly charming. For many, it has been known as a “poor person’s Chardonnay” because it is often planted on less desirable vineyards, thereby producing wines that have not been worshipped for their greatness. However, those who treat Pinot Blanc as a noble grape are rewarded with a wine that has real charm.

PERSONALITY: I do not need to be the most popular—I just need you to know who I am. Whether I show up still and refined, or sparkling and bubbling all over, I can make your party happen. Just invite me.

PAIR WITH: Give a nod to its Alsatian roots and go for an onion tart or quiche; it is beautiful with any cheeses that are delicately flavoured; and for sparkling wines with Pinot Blanc—the sky is the limit!

AKA: Pinot Grigio (Italy), Grauburgunder (Germany)

STYLE: This variety is produced in two distinct styles of still white wine: Gris, with a richer and more pronounced flavour profile and palate feel, and Grigio, often prized for its fresh acidity and easy-drinking style. At its peak—Grand Cru Pinot Gris from Alsace—the wine is rich, succulent, and complex with bright melon, passion fruit, and dried fruits. There are also complex versions of Pinot Grigio, especially from Terlan, a producer from the Trentino-Alto Adige region.

PERSONALITY: Drink me every day, anywhere. Where is the party? I want to be talked about. I want to be paired with some rich food. I want to be taken seriously.

PAIR WITH: Pair this with mushroom risotto and apricot stuffed pork tenderloin, sushi rolls (especially California roll), and Linguine alle Vongole (aka, linguine with clams).