Huge Red Wine collection
Andre' Tchelistcheff, the famous California wine maker once said "God made Cabernet Sauvignon, but the devil made Pinot Noir"; what is Pinot Noir? It is a red wine whose characteristics can best be described as having a sensual, silky texture and a variety of seductive aromas which include: strawberry, cherry, black cherry, raspberry, violet, cinnamon, sassafras, mushrooms, truffles, rose petal, fresh earth and barnyard. (although not agreed upon by all, the barnyard aroma is meant to be a positive description which refers to fresh earth as found on a farm, but can also refer to bacterial spoilage called Brettanomyces).
Pinot Noir loves a cool climate where it can ripen slowly, but maintain vivacious acidity. Soils of chalk and limestone that drain well make the wines work hard to survive and thus produce great wine. It's health benefits are possible because, the grapes must work hard to protect themselves from disease and rotting in cool climate, and as a result produce more anti-oxidants; it has 4 times more resveratrol then other wines. This thin skinned berry is known as the "heartbreak grape" because of it's difficulty to grow and is unstable even when bottled. For this reason, you often pay more for Pinot Noir then most other red wines
In the 2004 movie Sideways, the character Miles, discusses with Maya, the virtues of Pinot Noir which he considers the antithesis of plummery Merlot that can lack acidity; because of this commercial boost it is now one of the fastest growing red wines in North America.
Among the oldest of grapes grown to make wine by ancient Romans, Pinot Noir now thrives in many regions such as Austria, and Germany (known as Spatburgunder in both regions), Niagara, Okanagan Valley, Italy (Pinot Hero), New Zealand, Switzerland (Dole) Oregon and California. Cooler regions such as Caneros, Russian River alley and Anderson Valley in the Sonoma Valley, Santa Maria alley (Santa Barbara Valley) and Monterey County. The most famous region is Burgundy, France and especially the Burgundian sub-region Cote d' Or (Slope of Gold), where famous names such as Domaine Romanee-Conti and Laflaive grace labels.
Pinot Noir pairs with a variety of beef, turkey, chicken, fish, pork dishes and more because it is flavorful but not heavy in alcohol, oak or tannin. The best matches include: prime ribs, roast beef, brisket, turkey, pork tenderloin, mushroom and truffle dishes. Also on the menu are: Cog au Vin (chicken cooked in red wine), Beef Bourguigonne (beef coked in red wine) grilled salmon, cassoulet, roasted and braised lamb, pheasant, duck, shark, swordfish and tuna with rosemary; eat, drink and be merry.
I tend to be pretty much a wine wimp. I love wine, but I get drunk at two glasses. Typically I prefer a Pinot Grigio. I've never tried Pino Noir simply because I have been afraid of reds. Your description is giving me a second thought. There are a lot of great wineries here in AZ. Maybe when the weather gets warmer we'll do a wine day trip. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTwo glasses of wine is my limit, nothing worse than a wine hangover, LOL! Thanks for stopping by
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ReplyDeleteHi DeAnna - i have just started to enjoy wine, and I am still in the process of figuring out what I like. So this is a very interesting post to read. Thanks for the great post, and I agree with kelly - a wine hangover is not always so fun! :P ... Also, I found you through the Blog hop - be sure to check out mine, too - adayindurham.com
ReplyDeletePS - (I had to go back into this comment and edit it because I realized how many typos I had! Oops. That's what happens when you blog at 2 a.m.)
Sensual, silky and seductive...gotta get me some wine. A new follower.
ReplyDeleteAnne Marie
http://moanasuniquedesigns.blogspot.com/
Hi, Deanna! Thank you for linking up with #FTSF. When you come back next week, please use the sentence prompt for the post you link up. Thanks!
ReplyDelete~dawn
Pinor Noir is one of my favorite wines! Thank you so much for joining us at the Follow Friend Friday Link Up Party!
ReplyDeletexoxo
www.glamhungrymom.com
Oh my gosh this is perfect! Loving your blog already. :) Found you through the Harvest hop and following you on Networked blogs and Linky friends as Katie. Stop by when you have a chance!
ReplyDeleteKatie from Dysfunction Junction
http://dusfunctionsjunction.com
I'm a new follower from Blogaholic. :) Can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteBecca Marie from College Life (http://hercollegeblog.blogspot.com)
love this information! thank you!! I have been cooking with wine lately and trying to pair it with meals...just started learning all of this stuff and am enjoying it....love reading posts like yours with info!!
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower from the hop..pls follow back if you can.
hmmm...pork and apples tonight...does pinot noir work?!
Pinot Noir works perfect with any pork dish, thanks for stopping by
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