Pinot Noir They call it “the heartbreak grape”. Indeed, there are many ways by which the wine world’s alluring Pinot Noir grape might break one’s heart, not the least of which being the retail prices for which good quality bottles of this wine are listed in Canada’s restaurants and liquor outlets. While examples of this wine can be found for as low as $10.00, the elixir so often touted as ‘romance in a bottle’– imported from Burgundy, Oregon and the like – is a tough find for as much as $30 these days. Now, the real reason that this grape earned itself the reputation as a heartbreaker is its historical performance in the vineyard. This is a delicate grape which produces wines that, in their youth, are often portrayed with such descriptors as ‘pretty’, ‘perfume’ and ‘sweet fruit’. In short, its youthful vitality virtually embodies the characteristics of a true young lady with all her grace and vulnerability. Of course, with all these charms comes a degree of unpredictability. Pinot Noir vines are internationally famous for needing more care in the vineyards than their robust counterparts such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and the like. When working with some grape varieties one can just plant the vine in the soil and watch it grow. This is not the case for this capricious vine – it needs constant fine tuning throughout the season to ensure that the vineyard manager offers a proper response to every possible condition that Mother Nature might throw at it. For the inside scoop on this quaffable quandary, Flavours Magazine spoke with Canada’s own Ian Mavety, proprietor of the Okanagan Valley’s Blue Mountain Vineyards and world-renowned trailblazer in the trend of producing premium quality Pinot Noir in Canada. Ian began farming the country’s top crops of this grape in 1971, so if anyone around these parts would be considered a ‘Pinot-phile’, it would be him. When asked what made this particular grape variety so difficult to work with, he named two culprits; weather and vintage variation. While Pinot Noir grows best in cooler regions such as Burgundy and Oregon, the breezes which cool these areas often carry with them a humidity which could eventually ruin the grapes. You see, humidity late in the growing season will often lead to rot on the grapes, something to which this particular varietal does not take kindly. The rot infects the bunch and, before you know it, you’re left with a stinky bunch of mouldy grape juice. Additionally, the cooler areas of the globe often host shorter growing seasons than the warmer zones which means potentially poor setting of the buds in these vineyards each spring. No buds on the vines means less grapes and that means less grape juice from which to make the wine. As with any scarce resource in this world, rarity demands a high price so we can’t blame taxes alone for these wines’ exclusive pricing – there just aren’t always enough grapes to go around. These problems aside, year after year wine growers worldwide manage to rise to the challenge and nurse these ‘heartbreakers’ into some of the world’s finest wines. Domaine de la Romanée Conti for example (known to its sect of fans as ‘DRC’) received an enthusiastic nod of respect from the recent box-office hit Sideways as the producer of the untouchable “Richebourg” in Stephanie’s private cellar. One could see why she would have been eager to hold onto this bottle of Pinot Noir, as the 1999 vintage lists in Canada’s top restaurants for over $1,300.00 a bottle – while supplies last. So which is the best kind of Pinot and how do you know if it’s any good? As with every wine, preference and taste are subjective and every palate is different. “Everyone’s always searching for that wonderful elusive Pinot Noir,” advises Blue Mountain’s Mavety on the topic. “People should taste the wine for themselves and drink what they like.” Thank you Ian, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Pinot Envy Bouchard Ainé et Fils Beaujolais Supérieur
$16 – $17 Sandhill Gamay Noir $16 – $18 Fazi Battaglia Sangiovese della Marches $12 – $15
Bolla Valpolicella Classico $13 – $17 Ironstone ‘Old Vines’ Zinfandel $13 –
$19
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