How to pour
a pinot noir in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for about an hour, so the wine reaches 14 to 16 degrees. That is cooler than you are used to serving red wine, but it works for pinot noir: at room temperature, the alcohol takes over and the fresh fruit recedes into the background.
Cut around the capsule just below the ridge on the neck, place the spiral in the center of the cork, and turn it straight down. A long spiral also grips the longer corks used in better bottles, without breaking the cork halfway through.
Decanting is usually unnecessary. Pinot noir has little tannin and a delicate aroma that actually becomes flatter with too much air. If the wine is young and closed, pour a glass and leave the rest in the bottle; after fifteen minutes, you will already notice whether it is opening up. Carefully decant an old bottle with sediment into a decanter.
Pour up to about one-third of the bowl. The empty space above captures the aroma and directs it through the narrowing rim to your nose, and because there is little wine in the glass, it stays cool. It is better to top up with a small amount more often.
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The story
Pinot noir belongs to Burgundy, where red wine almost always comes from this one grape. It is notorious among winegrowers: the skin is thin, the bunches grow close together and the grape buds early, making it vulnerable to frost, rot and mould. It also wants a cool climate, because in warm conditions it loses precisely the freshness it depends on. The result is low yields and a great deal of risk per hectare, which is the core of the price. Outside Burgundy, it performs well in Germany, where it is called spätburgunder, as well as in New Zealand and Oregon.
The right glass
Pinot noir calls for a large Burgundy bowl, and with this grape that is no detail. The broad bowl gives the wine plenty of surface area to breathe, while the strongly tapered rim concentrates the delicate aromas of cherry, strawberry and violet instead of letting them dissipate. In a narrow glass, much of that aroma remains trapped in the bottle. For the sizes, see the red wine glasses or the large wine glasses.
Schott Zwiesel Ivento Burgundy glass 78 cl (6 pieces)
Schott Zwiesel Banquet Burgundy glass 63 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 91,20.
The right tools
For a pinot noir, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew with a long spiral, and with an old bottle containing sediment, a decanter to separate the wine from its sediment. Use the bar tools below once the wine goes into a sangria or wine cocktail: a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 87,40.
Which wine goes with this?
Pinot noir is rarely alone on the table. These are the wines that come alongside or after it, from the Bourgogne where the grape comes from to the Champagne in which it is pressed into white wine. On each drinks page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The same grape has different names elsewhere. In Germany, it appears on the label as spätburgunder; in Austria and Switzerland, blauburgunder; and in Italy, pinot nero. The style also varies: Burgundy is usually restrained and earthy, New Zealand pinot from Central Otago is fuller and riper in its fruit, and Oregon falls somewhere in between. Pinot noir is also one of the grapes used in champagne, where it is pressed as a white wine; if the bottle says blanc de noirs, the champagne is made only from dark-skinned grapes. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 14 to 16 degrees; in a warm room, it is perfectly fine to put the bottle back in the refrigerator for a while. With its low tannin and high acidity, pinot noir pairs well with poultry, duck, veal, and mushrooms, and it is one of the few red wines that can hold its own with grilled salmon or tuna. Drink a young, simple bottle while it is young; a good Burgundy can age for years.
Good to know
Why good pinot noir is expensive
It is almost all determined in the vineyard. The skin is thin, so the grape rots quickly in the rain; the bunches are tightly packed, which makes it easy for mold to linger; and the vine buds early, meaning a late frost can destroy part of the harvest. On top of that, the best plots in Burgundy are small and rarely change hands. Few bottles, lots of risk, and plenty of handwork: that is the calculation.
What it smells like when it is young and as it ages
Young pinot noir smells of red fruit: strawberry, raspberry, cherry, and often a floral note that people describe as violet. As the bottle ages, this shifts toward forest floor, mushroom, wet leaves, and leather. That is not a flaw but precisely what enthusiasts look for in an aged bottle. How quickly this change occurs varies greatly from wine to wine and depending on where it is stored.
Why it is served cooler than other red wines
Pinot noir has little tannin and plenty of acidity, and that combination calls for coolness. At room temperature, the alcohol comes forward and the wine becomes broad and flabby; a few degrees lower, the fruit remains clear and the acidity stays refreshing. Hence 14 to 16 degrees, compared with 16 to 18 degrees for a full-bodied red wine.
Where it thrives outside Burgundy
Anywhere that remains cool enough. In Germany, spätburgunder is the most important grape after riesling, with Baden, the Ahr and the Palatinate as the best-known regions. New Zealand produces robust, fruit-rich pinot, especially in Central Otago on the South Island. In the United States, Oregon is the classic pinot region. Alsace, Switzerland and northern Italy also grow the grape.
The red grape of Champagne
Champagne is made from chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier. Pinot noir is the dark-skinned grape that is pressed as a white wine: if the juice is separated from the skins immediately, it remains pale. It gives Champagne body and structure, while chardonnay mainly brings freshness. Blanc de noirs means that only dark-skinned grapes are used; blanc de blancs means only chardonnay.
How much alcohol it contains
Pinot noir usually contains roughly between 12 and 14 percent alcohol. Cool regions produce lighter wines, while warmer years and warmer regions produce fuller ones. The percentage is always stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
Where does pinot noir come from?
From Burgundy in France. Red Burgundy is almost always pinot noir. Outside Burgundy, the grape is found in Germany, where it is called spätburgunder, in New Zealand, with Central Otago as its best-known region, in Oregon, Alsace and Switzerland. It is also widely planted in Champagne.
What does pinot noir taste like?
Pale in color, light in tannins and fresh in acidity. When young, you smell and taste strawberry, cherry and violet; with age, forest floor, mushroom and leather emerge. It therefore feels lighter than most red wines, but it certainly has length.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve pinot noir?
Between 14 and 16 degrees, in a large Burgundy glass. That temperature is cooler than you may be used to for red wine and keeps the fruit bright. The wide bowl with a tapered rim gives the wine air and concentrates its delicate aromas.
Why is pinot noir so expensive?
Because it is difficult to grow. The thin skin makes it susceptible to rot, the tight clusters to mold, and the early budding to late frosts. It also needs a cool climate. This results in small, unpredictable harvests, and in Burgundy there is the additional scarcity of good plots.
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