The art of drinking Pinot Noir

If you’re a lover of Pinot Noir and fine red burgundy you’re doubtless in a bit of a stew. You’re worried that although the about-to-be-launched 2020 vintage is an absolute cracker, the amount of Pinot produced was down by around 40 per cent and there ain’t going to be enough to go round.

You’re also fretting that since the recently-harvested 2021 vintage was cursed with frost, hail, rain, disease and just about everything else, only miniscule amounts of Pinot were produced. The quality – amazingly – is high, but you’ll be darn lucky to get your hands on any.

Rarely, if ever, blended (except to make champagne and other fine sparklers), Pinot Noir is known both for vibrantly juicy wines marked by hints of raspberries cherries and plums and for soft, ethereal, mellow wines with hints of chocolate, game and even vegetal notes.

It’s called the heartbreak grape, not only because it’s tricky to grow, is picky about its soil, doesn’t like the heat and is so thin-skinned that it’s susceptible to mildew, rot, frost, but also because fine Pinot wine is just so hard to find.