International Pinot Noir Day Tuesday 18th August, 2023
This is the great red grape of Burgundy and although it is grown in many countries it is a difficult grape to grow. Pinot Noir has been transplanted to almost every one of the world’s wine regions, today is mostly found in France in Burgundy, the Loire and Alsace, but you will also find good European examples from Germany ,Italy and Romania. In the new world look out for Pinot Noir from Oregon in the USA, and from the cooler regions in South African such as Hermanus. It is also found in some of Australia’s cooler regions and last but not least in the country where it has made its second home, New Zealand.
New Zealand Pinot Noir
Why not celebrate International Pinot Noir Day with a New Zealand Pinot Noir! Intense, expressive, and fruit-driven, the Pinot Noir grape has found a natural home in New Zealand, and this International Pinot Noir Day is the perfect time to celebrate this.
Did you know, allegedly, a Pinot Noir cutting was snipped from the renowned Domaine de la Romanée-Conti vineyards in Burgundy by a mischievous tourist. Smuggled into New Zealand in a gumboot, the plant was intercepted at Auckland airport customs by Malcolm Abel, a local winemaker who happened to be working as a customs officer. He realised what this grapevine was and sent it to the government’s viticultural research centre to be processed properly. Eventually the first cuttings were released and Abel planted them. His vineyard no longer exists but Abel’s cuttings have been shared far and wide, and the Abel clone is the foundation of many of New Zealand’s premium Pinot Noir today.
