🍇 Pinot Noir
A famous red grape from Burgundy, France, giving light, elegant wines and Champagne.
Pinot Noir is a dark-skinned wine grape from Burgundy in France and one of the oldest known varieties. According to the OIV, its history in Burgundy can be traced back to the fourteenth century. It makes red wines that are light in colour and moderately acidic, prized for their rich aroma and finesse.
The VIVC catalogue, which checks variety pedigrees with DNA markers, lists Traminer (Savagnin) among Pinot Noir's ancestors; the other parent is unknown. Pinot Noir in turn gave rise to many varieties: according to the OIV, its crosses with Gouais Blanc produced 21 varieties grown in France, Chardonnay among them. Pinot Gris is a mutation of it.
In 2015 Pinot Noir covered 112 thousand ha worldwide. It is grown in Germany, where it ranks third by area (12 thousand ha), in Italy, Switzerland, Romania and Hungary, as well as in the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Argentina. In Champagne it is the most widely planted variety, with about 38% of the vineyards; Burgundy, Baden and the Ahr are also important for it.
The vine buds early, so it is vulnerable to spring frosts, but it gets through winter well. Its bunches are small, the berries very small, and yields low: 3–9 t/ha in Burgundy. It does best in a cool climate: further south the wines gain alcohol and lose aroma. Together with Chardonnay it is used for sparkling wines, above all Champagne.
Why it matters to you. If a wine from the EU says “Pinot Noir” on the label, at least 85% of it has to come from this variety. Spätburgunder, Blauburgunder and Pinot Nero are its synonyms, not different varieties. Red Pinot Noir is served at 15–18 °C.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Pinot Noir → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ French wine
- Where it grows
- Switzerland: 📍 Valais, 📜 Salgesch, 📜 Sierre, 📜 Saint-Léonard, 📜 Conthey, 📜 Chamoson, 📜 Leytron, 📍 Vaud, 📜 Lutry, 📜 Chardonne
and 40 more
📜 Vevey-Montreux, 📍 Chablais, 📜 Aigle, 📜 Ollon, 📍 La Côte, 📜 Tartegnin, 📍 Côtes de l'Orbe, 📍 Bonvillars, 📍 Geneva, 📍 Mandement, 📍 Three Lakes, 📜 Neuchâtel, 📜 Bielersee, 📜 Vully, 📜 Cheyres, 📜 Jura (Swiss canton), 📜 Graubünden, 📜 Bündner Herrschaft, 📜 Fläsch, 📜 Maienfeld, 📜 Jenins, 📜 Malans, 📜 Zürich, 📜 Schaffhausen, 📜 Aargau, 📜 Thurgau, 📜 St. Gallen, 📜 Basel-Landschaft, 📜 Basel-Stadt, 📜 Bern (Thunersee), 📜 Lucerne, 📜 Schwyz, 📜 Zug, 📜 Solothurn, 📜 Glarus, 📜 Appenzell Ausserrhoden, 📜 Appenzell Innerrhoden, 📜 Uri, 📜 Obwalden, 📜 Nidwalden
United Kingdom: 📍 England, 📜 English Wine, 📍 South East England, 📜 Sussex, 📍 Kent, 📍 Surrey, 📍 Hampshire, 📍 South West England, 📍 Cornwall, 📍 Devonand 9 more
📍 Dorset, 📍 East of England, 📍 Crouch Valley (Essex), 📍 Suffolk, 📍 Thames Valley and Chilterns, 📍 West Midlands and Welsh Borders, 📍 Wales, 📜 Welsh Wine, 📍 Monmouthshire
Germany: 📍 Baden, 📍 Ahr, 📍 Walporzheim/Ahrtal, 📍 Bodensee (Baden), 📍 Markgräflerland, 📍 Kaiserstuhl, 📍 Tuniberg, 📍 Breisgau, 📍 Ortenau, 📍 Mainviereckand 6 more
📍 Palatinate, 📍 Südliche Weinstraße, 📍 Rheingau, 📍 Wonnegau, 📍 Oberer Neckar, 📍 Bayerischer Bodensee
France: 📍 Burgundy, 📍 Champagne, 📍 Alsace, 📍 Chablis and Grand Auxerrois, 📍 Côte de Nuits, 📍 Côte de Beaune, 📍 Côte Chalonnaise, 📍 Montagne de Reims, 📍 Vallée de la Marne, 📍 Côte des Bar
Ukraine: 📍 Zakarpattia, 📍 Vynohradiv (Chorna Hora), 📍 Crimea, 📍 Sudak area, 📍 Novyi Svit, 📍 Sevastopol area (Southwestern Crimea), 📍 Balaklava, 📍 Podillia, 📍 Dniester Canyon (Zalishchyky), 📍 Kyiv regionand 34 more
Liechtenstein: 📍 Liechtenstein Rhine Valley (Oberland), 📍 Vaduz, 📍 Balzers, 📍 Triesen, 📍 Schaan, 📍 Liechtenstein Unterland, 📍 Eschen, 📍 Mauren
Belgium: 📍 Wallonia, 📍 Côtes de Sambre et Meuse, 📍 Flanders, 📍 Hageland, 📍 Haspengouw, 📍 Heuvelland
Italy: 📍 Aosta Valley, 📍 Lombardy, 📍 Franciacorta, 📍 Oltrepò Pavese
Netherlands: 📍 Limburg (Netherlands), 📍 Mergelland, 📍 Zeeland
Croatia: 📍 Croatian Uplands, 📍 Plešivica
Czechia: 📍 Bohemia, 📍 Mělník
Poland: 📍 Lower Silesia, 📍 Lesser Poland
Moldova: 📍 Cricova
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 📍 Bosnia
Albania: 📍 Southeastern Albania (Korçë)
Portugal: 📍 Távora-Varosa
Austria: 📍 Thermenregion
Hungary: 📍 Balatonboglár
Sweden: 📍 Skåne - Main grape in
- France: 📜 Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, 📜 Clos de Vougeot, 📜 Gevrey-Chambertin, 📜 Meursault, 📜 Nuits-Saint-Georges, 📜 Puligny-Montrachet, 📜 Chambolle-Musigny, 📜 Chassagne-Montrachet, 📜 Échezeaux, 📜 Grands-Échezeaux
and 79 more
📜 La Tâche, 📜 Pommard, 📜 Romanée-Conti, 📜 Sancerre, 📜 Vosne-Romanée, 📜 Chambertin, 📜 Musigny, 📜 Richebourg, 📜 Romanée-Saint-Vivant, 📜 Beaune, 📜 Bonnes-Mares, 📜 Chapelle-Chambertin, 📜 Charmes-Chambertin, 📜 Corton, 📜 Crémant de Limoux, 📜 Griotte-Chambertin, 📜 La Romanée, 📜 Latricières-Chambertin, 📜 Mazoyères-Chambertin, 📜 Ruchottes-Chambertin, 📜 Volnay, 📜 Auxey-Duresses, 📜 Clos Saint-Denis, 📜 Clos de la Roche, 📜 Crémant de Bourgogne, 📜 La Grande Rue, 📜 Morey-Saint-Denis, 📜 Rully, 📜 Aloxe-Corton, 📜 Arbois, 📍 Burgundy, 📍 Champagne, 📜 Clos de Tart, 📜 Clos des Lambrays, 📜 Crémant d'Alsace, 📍 Côte de Beaune, 📜 Côte de Nuits-Villages, 📜 Côtes du Jura, 📜 Mazis-Chambertin, 📜 Mercurey, 📜 Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains, 📜 Cheverny, 📜 Chorey-lès-Beaune, 📜 Châteaumeillant, 📜 Coteaux du Giennois, 📜 Côte de Beaune-Villages, 📜 Côtes de la Charité, 📜 Monthélie, 📜 Moselle, 📜 Rosé des Riceys, 📜 Savigny-lès-Beaune, 📜 Blagny, 📜 Coteaux Bourguignons, 📜 Côtes d'Auvergne, 📜 Menetou-Salon, 📜 Orléans, 📜 Reuilly, 📜 Saint-Romain, 📜 Valençay, 📜 Bourgogne mousseux, 📜 Bugey, 📜 Châtillon-en-Diois, 📜 Coteaux champenois, 📜 Crémant du Jura, 📜 Côtes de Meuse, 📜 Côtes de Toul, 📜 Fixin, 📜 Givry, 📜 Irancy, 📜 Ladoix, 📜 Macvin du Jura, 📜 Maranges, 📜 Marsannay, 📜 Pernand-Vergelesses, 📜 Saint-Aubin, 📜 Saint-Pourçain, 📜 Santenay, 📜 Touraine Noble Joué, 📜 Vougeot
Italy: 📜 Prosecco, 📍 Franciacorta, 📍 Oltrepò Pavese, 📜 Trento, 📜 Alta Langa, 📜 Pomino, 📜 Vigneti della Serenissima, 📜 Oltrepò Pavese metodo classico, 📜 Pinot nero dell'Oltrepò Pavese
Germany: 📍 Palatinate, 📍 Baden, 📍 Middle Rhine, 📍 Rheingau, 📍 Ahr, 📜 Ahr Valley Landwein, 📜 Bürgstadter Berg
Hungary: 📜 Etyek sparkling wine, 📜 Etyek-Buda / Etyek-Budai
Austria: 📍 Thermenregion - Related to
- 🍷 Blanc de noirs, 🍷 Vin gris, 🍷 Weissherbst, 🍷 Champagne, 🏷️ Burgundy Grand Cru
- Wines made from it
- 🍷 Sparkling wine, 🍷 Rosé
- Offspring
- 🍇 Gamay, 🍇 Chardonnay, 🍇 St. Laurent, 🍇 Pinotage, 🍇 Domina, 🍇 Bouvier, 🍇 Chasan, 🍇 Dameron, 🍇 Peurion, 🍇 Franc Noir de la Haute-Saône
- Parents
- 🍇 Traminer
Frequently asked questions
Where does Pinot Noir come from?
From Burgundy in France. According to the OIV, its history there goes back to the fourteenth century, and the VIVC gives France as the variety's country of origin.
Why does Pinot Noir yield so few grapes?
It has small bunches and very small berries; it also buds early and suffers from spring frosts. In Burgundy the yield is only 3–9 t/ha.
How much Pinot Noir is grown worldwide?
According to the OIV, 112 thousand ha in 2015. It is grown from France, Germany and Switzerland to the USA and New Zealand.
Are Spätburgunder and Pinot Noir different varieties?
No. According to the VIVC catalogue, Spätburgunder, Blauburgunder and Pinot Nero are synonyms of Pinot Noir; any of these names can appear on the label.
Is it true that Pinot Noir is used only for red wine?
No. Together with Chardonnay it is the basis of Champagne and other sparkling wines, and white Champagne can also contain Pinot Noir.
What to read next
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📜 Sancerre — A famous white wine from Sauvignon Blanc on the hills around Sancerre in the upper Loire.
- 🍇 Gamay — A red wine grape used to make Beaujolais.
- 📍 Lombardy — The Milan region, with Franciacorta and mountainous Valtellina.
- 🍷 Blanc de noirs — A white wine, most often sparkling, made from dark grapes whose juice was pressed off the skins.
Similar
🍇 Chardonnay · 🍇 Chasselas · 🍇 Gamay · 🍇 Müller-Thurgau · 🍇 Pinot Meunier · 🍇 Riesling
Sources
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Pinot Noir, pedigree confirmed by DNA markers
- OIV Focus 2017: Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Art. 49–50 (vintage year, wine grape varieties on the label)
- Comité Champagne: Champagne and its grape varieties
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019
- Wikipedia (en): Pinot noir