Is pinot noir red or white
Do you love wine like red Pinot Noir? Sure, I do. Have you ever thought whether there’s a white variant of it? Maybe maybe even a rose version? Or, perhaps you’re just beginning your journey through the intriguing, expansive wine world and want to know the difference between Pinot Noir red and white wine.
The answer is quite simple. Pinot Noir is a white and red wine. While the majority of Pinot Noir production takes place in red wine, there’s also a white Pinot Noir. Although it’s not as well-known as sparkling Pinot Noir and rose Pinot Noir, White Pinot Noir is produced in numerous regions across the globe.
Pinot Noir Introduction
Pinot Noir is among the most well-known and highly praised grape varieties. It is renowned for its distinct tastes and aromas. Do you have any questions about the meaning behind “Pinot Noir”? The name is derived from the clusters of densely packed dark purple-colored grapes, like a pinecone.
Pinot Noir is regarded as one of the hardest grapes to grow because of its thin, flaky skin and vulnerability to diseases. If properly cultivated and under the appropriate conditions, it makes some of the most exquisite wines around the globe.
Pinot Noir Around the World
Burgundy, located in France, can be thought to be the birthplace of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir grape. Contrary to Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, which are planted in nearly every wine-producing country in the globe, The Pinot Noir grape is very specific regarding the area in which it is grown.
Pinot Noir grapes thrive in cooler climates that have a longer growing season. This allows the grapes to mature gradually and produce complex flavors while keeping their acidity.
Pinot Noir Description
Its Pinot Noir taste is usually described as dry but yet fruit-forward. It has the aroma of red fruit, like raspberry and cherry, with earthy undertones and a smooth texture.
Pinot Noir is generally an effervescent red wine that has naturally high acidity. This creates its lively, refreshing taste and aids in balancing its fruitiness. The level of acidity can differ based on the soil and climate conditions under which the grapes are planted.
Pinot Noir typically has an alcohol amount of between 12% and 15 percent. The percentage can be determined by the style of the winemaker and the location in which the wine is made.
Pinot Noir Serving Tips
When it concerns pairing food items with Pinot Noir, it is perhaps the most adaptable wine around. While it’s a red wine, Pinot Noir pairs very well with a wide range of seafood and fish, including tuna, salmon, and lobster. In addition, it is a great accompaniment to red meat recipes based on mushrooms, along with hard cheeses like Camembert and Gruyere.
A tip for you is that due to its fruity character, prior to serving Pinot Noir, you should store it at a lower temperature than other red wines. Find out more about the optimal temperature for serving Pinot Noir here.
Where Does Pinot Noir Color Come From?
The first step is to understand where the wine’s color is derived from. In the process of making wine, there is a process known as “maceration,” which is when the wine must (the extracted juice from the grapes, diluted with yeast and water) is in contact with the grapes’ skin, seed, and stems of the grapes.
Maceration involves soaking the relics of the grapes in wine for a certain duration, based on the style of the winemaker and also the ultimate goal of which wine the result should taste like.
In the process of making red wine, the skins of the grapes are left to touch with the wine for a longer time until they attain the final red hue. The process may be prolonged for a few days, weeks, or, sometimes, even months.
In reality, the length of time that the skins remain in contact with the juice of the grapes as it ferments determines what color will be the result, which is Pinot Noir.
What Color is Pinot Noir?
The color of Pinot Noir can range from light ruby red to deep red. Color that is produced by Pinot Noir wine depends on the following factors:
The region in which the Pinot Noir grapes are grown.
It is the style and design of the winemaker.
How Can Age Change the Color of Pinot Noir?
The wine’s age can alter its color. The primary reason for this is the degrading of the wine’s pigments. White wines get a darker hue, while the aging of red wines leads to a more light-colored final wine.
The barrels used to age the wine can also affect how the wine will turn out. The new Oak barrels aged over time result in a darker color of the wine when compared with wines that were aged inside older barrels.
The older Pinot Noir Wine tends to have a lighter color than fresh Pinot Noir.
The Effect of the Region on the Final Pinot Noir Nuance
The soil type and its conditions are also a factor in the wine’s color since some specific minerals and nutrients could affect on the hue of Pinot Noir grapes. For instance, soils that are rich in calcium result in grapes that have more skin. A thicker skin indicates a darker shade.
Rose Pinot Noir
Rose Pinot Noir wines are made in a manner like the one used to make Pinot Noir red wines and are made with black grapes.
Grapes are crushed, and the skins of the grapes remain on the table with wine for a shorter time to attain the pink hue. After the color has been achieved, the skins of the grapes are removed to stop the paint from changing to red.
Rose Pinot Noirs are typically extremely light in body and color because of the delicate and soft surface of the Pinot Noir wine.
Sparkling Pinot Noir
Sparkling Pinot Noir wines are usually rose and white and only seldom red. The method used to extract the color is identical to white rose, red, and white Pinot Noir.
Red Pinot Noir grapes are crushed, and the resulting juice is fermented either with or without contact with the skin of the grape according to what color you want and the flavor of the wine.
To create bubbles, There is a second fermentation process that takes place inside the bottle.
Conclusion
It’s not necessary to search for a long time to find an excellent wine bottle, Pinot Noir. It’s not required to pay thousands of dollars to find an excellent one. If you’re savvy, you’ll be able to find many affordable and delicious options. In fact, your local supermarket, such as Trader Joe’s, has a wide variety of Pinot Noir that you can select from.
If you’re new to Pinot Noir newbie, don’t fret! We’ve got you covered. Begin with a bottle from California and proceed into Oregon (especially in the Willamette Valley), and then, finally, you can indulge in some Burgundy.