Pinot for Christmas Day

For me, no Christmas would be complete without a bottle of Pinot Noir on the Christmas table. From the winemakers point of view, Pinot Noir is perhaps the grape variety that winemakers seek to make the best wines from.  From a wine buyer's perspective we have to be very careful to maintain a high standard of quality control - when made badly Pinot Noir can produce wines that are light, insipid and, most of all, over priced!

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What Makes a Good Pinot Noir?

In my view, Pinot Noir should be soft, rounded and velvety. A young wine should have vibrant fruits but as it ages the wines develop an almost earthy character.

This example from Argentina is made by Patricio Gouguenheim. We were delighted to have him attend out Autumn Tasting where he took time to explain his wines. I make no apology for featuring his wines in this case and they will star in the future, but his Pinot Noir was so well received that we could not resist but select it as an option for your Christmas dinner.  Patirico uses the same strain of Pinot Noir that is planted widely in the Champagne region as it has slightly thicker skin and is more sturdy when grown in warmer climates.   

So why is this a good choice for Christmas Day? Well Chris and I believe that this has the right balance of fruit to match the Christmas Turkey without being to full-flavoured and overpowering.

Five Christmas Dinner Party Facts about Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir takes its name from the from the French words for pin and black. This is believed to be related to its tightly bunched, coned shaped grapes.

Pinot Noir is the main grape used in the production of red Burgundy.

It is one of the three grapes used for making Champagne.

It is a fussy grape and produces its best wines in the cooler or higher elevation vineyards of the world.

It is an ancient grape of unknown origin. Its European history however can be traced back to the Burgundy in the 1st Century.

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