Pinot Noir, the success of «the devil’s grape»
The broths that come from this grape are soft, fresh, fruity and named after the Burgundy to the Olympus of oenology. The Gallic region is the natural homeland of Pinot grapes, and within this variety, the Pinot Noir it is the most sophisticated version. Its reds, rosés and cavas are internationally renowned but, like all luxury, it is a very difficult good to come by.
«God made the cabernet sauvignon and the devil made the Pinot Noir»With this phrase the famous winemaker André Tchelistcheff summed up the extreme delicacy of the grape. The description is well founded because it is a fruit variety very sensitive to external agents: changes in temperature, wind and the type of soil in which it grows are determining factors for its development, Burgundy is the axis where all the vectors coincide.
«Pinot Noir is a very demanding and delicate grape, which is why its wines are highly appreciated all over the world, but in ESpain is a great unknown and we want that to change “, says Diego Ortega, co-owner of the Valladolid winery Alta Pavina, one of the few that dared to bet and successfully on this type of strain.
The winery of Alta Pavina, Located in the heart of Tempranillo in Valladolid, at the beginning of the summer of 2017 it launched two new wines to the market to increase its offer of one of the differentiating values of its winery, which is the Pinot Noir grape wine.
This winery has been working and producing for the wine sector for more than thirty years and it is now, under the direction of two brothers winemakers, Diego and Hugo Ortega, who represent the second generation, when they are betting on something that many considered impossible. , the production of a high quality wine with one of the most difficult grapes to grow in the world as is the “Pinot Noir” and even more so in the Iberian Peninsula.
The most elegant in the world
In his day, dukes of burgundy They described the reds from this grape as “the most elegant in the world.” Such was the support that Felipe el Osado issued in the IV century a edict banning the Gamay variety in favor of Pinot Noir. Many wine scholars are convinced that the Gallic aristocracy played a fundamental role in the journey of the Pinoirs and that, although its quality is unquestionable, the legend of its former fame is the best ambassador for the brand today.
The difficulties facing its cultivation fatten its legend and make it, in turn, an exclusive product. His name anticipates the challenge: pinot means pine and black, black; a denomination that alludes to the bunches, whose grapes are very tight. Their arrangement and small size make it very difficult to grow these “devil’s fruits”, while at the same time making them a very popular variety. prone to disease.
Clear color
A characteristic of these wines is their color, it offers very light red specimens, it even achieves whites, the “Whites of blacks”. The grape is a delight for rosés and sparkling wines, where they offer very attractive notes, among which raspberry and black cherry predominate. The evolution of the aroma tends to turn towards hunting, incense and leather.
In Spain, more and more firms irrigate the land with devil’s grapes, in addition to Alta Pavina, Enrique Mendoza’s wineries are highly valued, especially his E. Mendoza Pinor Noir 2010, Marimar Torres Estate, with his Cristina Pinot Noir (2007) as a star and Cortijo de los Aguilares, whose acme is Cortijo de los Aguilares Pinot Noir (2010).
Our land, however, is not the most appropriate for its cultivation, more typical of lcool places. Fortunately, in addition to Burgundy, other flags perfectly host the Pinot Noir varieties in their bosom: Yarra Valley, in Australia, meets the right conditions. Also the Californian coast and Oregon are regions that exploit Pinot a lot, ahead of Lombardy, South Africa and Germany, places where the wine variety grows easily.