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109-450: In cool climates (such as many German wine regions ), Riesling wines tend to exhibit apple and tree fruit notes with noticeable levels of acidity that are sometimes balanced with residual sugar . A late-ripening variety that can develop more citrus and peach notes is grown in warmer climates (such as Alsace and parts of Austria ). In Australia , Riesling is often noted for a characteristic lime note that tends to emerge in examples from

218-420: A "minx of a vine" and André Tchelistcheff declared that "God made cabernet sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot noir". It is much less tolerant of harsh vineyard conditions than the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot or Grenache . However, Pinot noir wines are among the most popular in the world. Joel L. Fleishman of Vanity Fair describes them as "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous

327-434: A characteristic effervescent light body with a similarly light, mellow flavor. The wine can be dynamic though rarely robust, and ranges from dry to sweet. New York is also a notable producer of Riesling-based ice wine , although a large majority of New York Ice Wine is made from Vidal blanc and Vignoles . In California , Riesling lags far behind Chardonnay in popularity and is not as commonly planted. A notable exception

436-473: A chimera of almost any other pinot. As such, suggestions that Pinot noir is the fundamental and original form of the Pinots are both misleading and highly tendentious. Indeed, if anything, Pinot blanc may be the original human-selected form of Pinot, although given the genetic variability of this longstanding genetic line, thinking of Pinot as a familial cluster of grapes sharing a fundamental and common genetic core

545-428: A chimerical mutation (in the epidermal cells) which makes the shoot tips and leaves prominently hairy-white and the vine a little smaller and early ripening. Thus, Pinot Meunier is a chimera with two tissue layers of different genetic makeup, both of which contain a mutation making them non-identical to, and mutations of, Pinot noir (as well as of any of the other color forms of pinot). As such, Pinot Meunier cannot be

654-513: A consortium of researchers, announced the sequencing of the genome of Pinot noir. It is the first fruit crop to be sequenced, and only the fourth flowering plant. In the Middle Ages , the nobility and church of northeast France grew some form of Pinot in favored plots, while peasants grew a large amount of the much more productive, but otherwise distinctly inferior, Gouais blanc . Cross-pollination may have resulted from such close proximity, with

763-526: A crisp lightness that bodes well for easy drinking. Often there will be an easily detectable peach and mineral complex In Michigan , whose Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula AVAs (near Traverse City ) are known for their ice wine , Riesling is a fairly common variety, in part on account of its suitability for that purpose. Riesling is grown in other regions as well, including colder parts of relatively warm states such as Oklahoma (where it has even been made into an eiswein ) and Texas. Riesling

872-466: A crisp taste due to the high acidity. However, Riesling's naturally high acidity and range of flavours make it suitable for extended aging. International wine expert Michael Broadbent rates aged German Rieslings, some hundreds of years old, highly. Sweet Riesling wines, such as German Trockenbeerenauslese , are especially suited for cellaring since the high sugar content provides for additional preservation. However, high-quality dry or off-dry Riesling wine

981-584: A dark-skinned clone, i.e., it is still a white wine grape. It is considered a mutation of White Riesling, but some experts have suggested the opposite relationship, i.e., that Red Riesling could be the forerunner of White Riesling. Small amounts of Red Riesling are grown in Germany and Austria. In 2006, the Rheingau winery Fritz Allendorf planted what has been claimed to be the first commercial amounts of Red Riesling. To confuse matters, "Red Riesling" has also been used as

1090-525: A grape variety similar to Pinot noir in Burgundy during the 1st century CE; however, vines have grown wild as far north as Belgium in the days before phylloxera , and it is possible that pinot represents a direct domestication of (hermaphrodite-flowered) Vitis sylvestris . Ferdinand Regner argued that Pinot noir is a cross between Pinot Meunier (Schwarzriesling) and Traminer , but this claim has since been refuted. In fact, Pinot Meunier has been shown to be

1199-408: A high salt content. In Germany, cabbage is sometimes cooked with riesling to reduce the vegetable's smell. As with other white wines, dry Riesling is generally served at a cool 11 °C (52 °F). Sweeter Rieslings are often served warmer . There exists a large number of commercial clones of Riesling, with slightly different properties. In Germany, approximately 60 clones are allowed, and

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1308-421: A lesser extent currant and many other fine small red and black berry fruits. Traditional red Burgundy is famous for its savory fleshiness and "farmyard" aromas (this latter is sometimes associated with thiol and other reductive characters), but changing fashions, modern winemaking techniques, and new easier-to-grow clones have favored a lighter, more fruit-prominent, cleaner style. The wine's color, when young,

1417-540: A more powerful, fruit-forward, and darker wine that can tend toward Syrah (or even new world Malbec ) in depth, extract, and alcoholic content. Pinot noir is also used in the production of Champagne (usually along with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier ) and is planted in most of the world's wine-growing regions for use in both still and sparkling wines. Pinot noir grown for dry table wines is generally low- yielding and of lesser vigor than many other varieties, whereas when grown for use in sparkling wines (e.g., Champagne), it

1526-500: A parent of Pinot noir, and, indeed, it seems likely that chimerical mutations which can generate Pinot gris from other pinot (principally blanc or noir) may in turn, be the genetic pathway for the emergence of Pinot Meunier. Pinot gris is a pinot color sport (and can arise by mutation of Pinot noir or Pinot blanc), presumably representing a somatic mutation in either the VvMYBA1 or VvMYBA2 genes that control grape berry color. Pinot blanc

1635-487: A perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic". Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon calls them "sex in a glass". The tremendously broad range of bouquets , flavors, textures, and impressions that Pinot noir can produce sometimes confuses tasters. Broadly, the wines tend to be of light to medium body with an aroma reminiscent of black and/or red cherry , raspberry and to

1744-401: A process in which the alcoholic content is increased through the addition of sugar to the must. In contrast to other Alsatian wines, Rieslings d'Alsace are usually not meant to be drunk young, but many are still best in the first years. Rieslings d'Alsace tend to be mostly very dry with a cleansing acidity. They are thick-bodied wines that coat the palate. These wines age exceptionally well with

1853-416: A quality vintage aging up to 20 years. This is beneficial since the flavours in an Alsace wine will often open up after three years, developing softer and fruitier flavours. Riesling is very suitable for the late harvest Vendange Tardive and the botrytized Sélection de Grains Nobles , with good acidity keeping up the sweetness of the wine. In addition to Muscat , Gewürztraminer and Pinot gris , Riesling

1962-472: A striking petrol note ( goût de pétrole in French) that is sometimes described with comparisons to kerosene, lubricant, or rubber. While an integral part of the aroma profile of mature Riesling and sought after by many experienced drinkers, it may be off-putting to those unaccustomed to it, and those who primarily seek young and fruity aromas in their wine. The negative attitude to petrol aromas in young Riesling, and

2071-486: A synonym for red-skinned Traminer grapes (such as the Savagnin rose of Klevener de Heiligenstein ) and the obscure variety Hanns , which is a seed plant of Roter Veltliner . Roter Riesling has nothing to do with Schwarzriesling . In the late 19th century, German horticulturalists devoted many efforts to develop new Riesling hybrids that would create a more flexible, less temperamental grape that could still retain some of

2180-517: A vast array of tastes from sweet to off-dry halbtrocken to dry trocken . Late harvest Rieslings can ripen to become very sweet dessert wines of the beerenauslese (BA) and trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) class. Riesling is on record as being planted in the Alsace region by 1477 when its quality was praised by the Duke of Lorraine . Today over a fifth of Alsace's vineyards are covered with Riesling vines, mostly in

2289-676: Is Gouais blanc , known to the Germans as Weißer Heunisch , a variety that, while rare today, was widely grown by the French and German peasantry of the Middle Ages. The other parent is a cross between a wild vine and Traminer . It is presumed that the Riesling was born somewhere in the valley of the Rhine, since both Heunisch and Traminer have a long documented history in Germany, but with parents from either side of

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2398-548: Is 1 Bereich (in bold) and 10 Großlagen. In the Rheinhessen there are 3 Bereiche (in bold) and 24 Großlagen. In Saale-Unstrut there are 2 Bereiche (in bold) and 5 Großlagen. In Saxony, also known as Sachsen, there are 3 Bereiche (in bold) and 4 Großlagen. In Württemberg there are 6 Bereiche (in bold) and 17 Großlagen. There are 4 main wine regions that produce German Tafelwein and 8 sub-regions. There are 20 wine regions that produce German Landwein. The Anbaugebiet where

2507-583: Is a Californian misnomer for a UCD clone series of upright-growing ('Pinot Droit') Pinot noir. Planted mostly in California it also became established in New Zealand . In New Zealand, its disposition to poor fruit set in cool-flowering conditions can be problematic. It has been claimed that the 'Gamay Beaujolais' Pinot noir was brought to California by Paul Masson. But it was collected in France by Harold Olmo for UCD in

2616-562: Is a difficult variety to cultivate and transform into wine. The grape's tendency to produce tightly packed clusters makes it susceptible to several viticultural hazards involving rot that require diligent canopy management . The thin skins and low levels of phenolic compounds lend pinot to producing mostly lightly colored , medium-bodied and low- tannin wines that can often go through phases of uneven and unpredictable aging . When young, wines made from Pinot noir tend to have red fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. As

2725-423: Is a further mutation and can either naturally arise from or give rise to Pinot gris or Pinot noir; the mutation-reversion path is multi-directional, therefore. The general DNA profiles of both Pinot gris and blanc are identical to Pinot noir; and other Pinots, Pinot mour, and Pinot teinturier are also genetically similarly close. Almost any given Pinot (of whatever berry color) can occur as a complete mutation or as

2834-495: Is a high-quality cross that has recently eclipsed Riesling in plantings. German wine regions German wine regions are classified according to the quality category of the wine grown therein: Tafelwein , Landwein , Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) and Prädikatswein . The wine regions allowed to produce QbA and Prädikatswein are further subdivided into four categories according to size: Anbaugebiet (a major wine region), Bereich (a district within

2943-454: Is a stark contrast in Riesling production. Although Oregon was once viewed as a promising destination for the grape, Burgundy-style wines came to dominate, while in Washington, large producers such as Chateau Ste. Michelle spearheaded Riesling's growth. Chateau Ste. Michille championed German styles and partnered with well-known German firm Dr. Ernest Loosen to create specialty wines such as

3052-490: Is almost certainly nearest the truth. It is this core around which the sub-varietally identifying color variations (blanc, rouge, noir, gris, rose, violet, tenteurier, moure, etc.) occur, along with the more striking chimeric morphological mutation that is Pinot Meunier, and the interesting further mutations of this variety as Pinot Meunier gris and as the non-hairy mutation which the Germans classify as 'Samtrot' (effectively 'Pinot red velvet'). A white berried sport of Pinot noir

3161-506: Is also grown throughout all the regions in Ohio and is produced and sold at award-winning wineries across the state. In Ontario, Riesling is commonly used for icewine , where the wine is noted for its breadth and complexity. Niagara is a major producer of ice wine in general, putting it neck-and-neck with Germany. Late Harvest wines and some sparkling wines are produced with Riesling in Niagara but it

3270-463: Is also known not just to have survived but also to have been enjoyable at an age exceeding 100 years. The Ratskeller (council wine cellar) of the townhall of Bremen , Germany, stores 650+ German wines, including Riesling-based wines, often in barrel and back to the 1653 vintage. More common aging periods for Riesling wines would be 5–15 years for dry, 10–20 years for semi-sweet and 10–30+ for sweet versions. On release, certain Riesling wines reveal

3379-468: Is an exception with some winters in the wine regions of Palatinate (Pfalz) and Baden using new oak aging. The warmer temperatures in those regions produce heavier wines with a higher alcohol content that can better contend with the new oak. While clearer in individual flavours when it is young, a German Riesling will harmonize more as it ages, particularly around ten years of age. In Germany, sugar levels at time of harvest are an important consideration in

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3488-443: Is common for Australian Rieslings to be fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks with no oxidation of the wine, followed by earlier bottling. Australian Rieslings are noted for their oily texture and citrus fruit flavors in their youth and a smooth balance of freshness and acid as they age. The botrytized Rieslings have immense levels of flavor concentrations that have been favorably compared to lemon marmalade. Riesling

3597-449: Is created from carotenoid precursors by acid hydrolysis . The initial concentration of precursors in the wine determines the wine's potential to develop TDN and petrol notes over time. From what is known of the production of carotenoids in grapes, factors that are likely to increase the TDN potential are: These factors are usually also considered to contribute to high-quality Riesling wines, so

3706-413: Is extremely high. However, initial results were not promising for several reasons, including high levels of leaf roll virus in older plantings, and, during the 1960s and 1970s, the limited number and indifferent quality of Pinot noir clones available for planting. However, since this time importation of high-quality clones and much-improved viticulture and winemaking has seen Pinot noir, from Martinborough in

3815-501: Is generally cropped at significantly higher yields. In addition to being used for the production of sparkling and still red wine, Pinot noir is also sometimes used for rosé still wines, Beaujolais Nouveau -styled wines, and even vin gris white wines. Its juice is uncolored. Pinot noir is almost certainly a very ancient variety that may be only one or two generations removed from wild Vitis sylvestris vines. Its origins are nevertheless unclear: In De re rustica , Columella describes

3924-514: Is generally used to make Pinot-noir d'Alsace  [ fr ] , similar in character to red Burgundy and Beaujolais wines but usually consumed chilled. Prominent examples are Rouge de Barr and Rouge d'Ottrott . Pinot noir is the only red wine produced in Alsace. Among countries planted with Pinot noir, Germany ranks third behind France and the United States. In Germany it is called Spätburgunder ( lit.   ' Late Burgundian ' ) and

4033-587: Is grown around the world, mostly in cooler climates, and the variety is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France . Pinot noir is now used to make red wines around the world, as well as champagne , sparkling white wines such as the Italian Franciacorta , and English sparkling wines . Regions that have gained a reputation for red Pinot noir wines include the Willamette Valley of Oregon ;

4142-890: Is grown in Rheinhessen and Ahr area and can produce good wines. In Italy, where Pinot noir is known as Pinot nero, it has traditionally been cultivated in South Tyrol, the Collio Goriziano, Franciacorta, Oltrepò Pavese, Veneto, Friuli and Trentino . It is also planted in Tuscany. In South Tyrol the variety is first noted 1838 as "Bourgoigne noir" in a grape wine buy list of the "k.u.k. Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft von Tirol und Vorarlberg, Niederlassung Bozen" and later called "Blauburgunder" like in Austria. The first analytical descriptions are from Edmund Mach (founder of Ist. Agr. San Michele a.A. ) in

4251-590: Is grown in many of the wine regions from the north to the south, but the vast majority of Pinot noir is grown in Catalonia , where it is used in still wines and Cava , Spanish sparkling wine. It is an authorised variety in some of the Catalan DOPs. In 2015 there were 1,063 hectares (2,630 acres) of Pinot noir grown in Spain. Pinot noir is a popular grape variety all over Switzerland. In German-speaking regions of Switzerland it

4360-454: Is highly reflective of its terroir , with different regions producing very different wines. Its thin skin makes it susceptible to bunch rot and similar fungal diseases. The vines themselves are susceptible to powdery mildew , especially in Burgundy infection by leaf roll, and fanleaf viruses cause significant vine health problems. These complications have given the grape a reputation for being difficult to grow: Jancis Robinson calls pinot

4469-466: Is now the most widely planted red grape. Historically much German wine produced from Pinot noir was pale, often rosé like the red wines of Alsace ; over-cropping and bunch-rot were major contributing factors to this. However, recently, despite the northerly climate, darker, richer reds have been produced, often barrel ( barrique ) aged, in regions such as Baden , Palatinate (Pfalz) and Ahr . These are rarely exported and are often expensive in Germany for

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4578-498: Is often compared to that of garnet , frequently being much lighter than that of other red wines. This is entirely natural and not a winemaking fault, as Pinot noir has a lower skin anthocyanin (coloring matter) content than most other classical red/black varieties. Callistephin , the 3- O -glucoside of pelargonidin, an orange-colored anthocyanidin, is also found in the berry skins of Pinot noir. However, an emerging, increasingly evident style from California and New Zealand highlights

4687-737: Is one of the acceptable varieties whose planting is allowed in Alsace grand cru sites. In 1838 William Macarthur planted Riesling vines near Penrith in New South Wales . Riesling was the most planted white grape in Australia until the early 1990s when Chardonnay greatly increased in popularity. Riesling still flourishes in the Great Southern of Western Australia (in particular Mt Barker, Frankland River and Porongurup), and in South Australia in

4796-405: Is small and conico-cylindrical, shaped like a pinecone . Some viticultural historians believe this shape similarity may have given rise to the name. In the vineyard, Pinot noir is sensitive to wind and frost, cropping levels (it must be low yielding for the production of quality wines), soil types, and pruning techniques. In the winery, it is sensitive to fermentation methods and yeast strains and

4905-679: Is table wines from dry to off-dry that hold the largest share of production. The climate of the region is typically quite warm in the summertime, which adds a layer of richness in the wines. The founder of St. Urbanshoff in the Mosel, Herman Weiss, was an early pioneer in Niagara's modern viticulture, selling his strain of Mosel clone Riesling to many producers in west Niagara (these vines are well over 20 years old now). This clone and Niagara's summer heat make for uniquely bright wines and often show up in interesting dry styled versions. Many producers and wine critics will argue that Niagara's best offerings come from

5014-592: Is the growing development of high quality Late Harvest dessert wines. So far, the Late Harvest wines most successfully produced are in the Anderson and Alexander Valleys where the weather is more likely to encourage the needed botrytis to develop. The Riesling that does come out of California tends to be softer, fuller, and having more diverse flavours than a "typical" German Riesling. In the Pacific Northwest, there

5123-401: Is the second leading white grape varietal after the indigenous Grüner Veltliner . Austrian Riesling is generally thick bodied, coating the palate and producing a strong clarity of flavour coupled with a mouthwatering aroma. A particular Austrian Riesling trademark is a long finish that includes hints of white pepper. It flourishes in the cool climate and free-draining granite and mica soil of

5232-604: The Adriatic the cross could have happened anywhere on the way. It has also been suggested, but not proved, that the red-skinned version of Riesling is the forerunner of the common, "white" Riesling. The genetic differences between white and red Riesling are minuscule, as is also the case between Pinot noir and Pinot gris . Riesling wines are often consumed when young, when they make a fruity and aromatic wine that may have aromas of green or other apples, grapefruit, peach, gooseberry, honey, rose blossom or cut green grass, and usually

5341-670: The Canberra District in the Australian Capital Territory. Best's Wines in Great Western has what is believed to have some of the world's oldest Pinot noir plantings—having survived phyloxera, these vines were planted in 1868. In Austria, Pinot noir is usually called Blauburgunder (literally Blue Burgundy) and produced in Burgenland and Lower Austria . Austrian Pinot noir wines are dry red wines similar in character to

5450-806: The Carneros , Central Coast , Sonoma Coast , and Russian River AVAs of California ; the Elgin and Walker Bay wine regions of South Africa ; the Mornington Peninsula , Adelaide Hills , Great Southern , Tasmania , and Yarra Valley in Australia ; and the Central Otago , Martinborough , and Marlborough wine regions of New Zealand . Pinot noir is the most planted varietal (38%) used in sparkling wine production in Champagne and other wine regions. Pinot noir

5559-472: The Clare Valley and Eden Valley in South Australia . Riesling's naturally high acidity and pronounced fruit flavors give wines made from the grape exceptional aging potential , with well-made examples from favorable vintages often developing smokey, honey notes, and aged German Rieslings, in particular, taking on a " petrol " character, as a result of the development of the compund TDN . In 2015, Riesling

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5668-455: The Clare Valley , and particularly in the areas of Watervale and around Polish Hill River, and the cooler Eden Valley and High Eden . The warmer Australian climate produces thicker skinned grapes, sometimes seven times the thickness of German grown grapes. The grapes ripen in free draining soil composed of red soil over limestone and shale , producing a lean wine that, as it matures, produces toasty, honeycomb and lime aromas and flavors. It

5777-720: The Haut-Rhin district, with the varietal Riesling d'Alsace  [ fr ] being very different from neighboring German Riesling. This is partly from difference in the soil with the clay Alsatian soil being more dominately calcareous than the slate composition of Rheingau. The other differences come in wine making styles, with the Alsatian preferring more French-oriented methods that produce wines of higher alcohol content (normally around 12%) and more roundness due to longer time spent in neutral oak barrels or steel tanks. In contrast to German wine laws, Alsatian rieslings can be chaptalized ,

5886-608: The Niagara Escarpment region, which encompasses the Short Hills Bench , 20 Mile Bench, and Beamsville Bench. In British Columbia, Riesling is commonly grown for use in icewine, table wine, and sekt-style sparkling wines, a notable example of which is Cipes Brut. In Nova Scotia, particularly in the Annapolis Valley region, Riesling is showing significant promise, being shaped by the warm summer days with cool nights and

5995-743: The Okanagan ; here it is grown predominantly on the Naramata bench and in the northern Okanagan, Lower Mainland , and Vancouver Island wine regions of British Columbia . It is also grown in the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia and the Lanaudière and Brome-Missisquoi regions of Quebec. Pinot noir is produced at the Leyda Valley, one of the minor wine districts of the Aconcagua wine region of Chile and in

6104-609: The United States ( Washington , California , Michigan , and New York ). Riesling has a long history, and there are several written references to the variety dating from the 15th century, although with varying orthography . The earliest of these references dates from March 13, 1435, when the storage inventory of Count John IV of Katzenelnbogen in Rüsselsheim (close to the Rheingau ) lists "22 ß umb seczreben Rießlingen in die wingarten" ("22 shillings for Riesling vine cuttings for

6213-454: The Wachau region where Austrian wine laws allow for irrigation. With levels normally around 13% it has a relatively high alcohol content for Riesling and is generally at its peak after 5 years. Austrian Riesling is not known for its sweetness and is mostly dry with very few grapes affected by botrytis . In the late nineteenth century, German immigrants brought with them Riesling vines, borrowing

6322-525: The 1950s and was one of the first Pinot Noir vines this institution offered as a high-health clonal line from about 1962 onward. However, it was misleadingly identified at UCD as a 'Gamay Beaujolais' type (of Pinot noir). In general, these upright growing 'Pinot Droit' clones are highly productive (in suitable, hot-to-warm, flowering conditions) and in California and New Zealand, they give robust, burly wines favored by those who like muscle rather than charm and velvety finesse in their Pinot noir wines. In Burgundy,

6431-500: The 19th century, but much was lost to the ravages of phylloxera ; Soviet control of Moldova from 1940 to 1991 also reduced the productivity of vineyards. Pinot noir is New Zealand's largest red wine variety, and second largest variety overall behind Sauvignon blanc . In 2014, Pinot noir vines covered 5,569 hectares (13,760 acres) and produced 36,500 tonnes of grapes. Pinot noir is a grape variety whose "importance" in New Zealand

6540-655: The Bold 's role in promoting the spread of Pinot noir, holds that the reputation of Beaune wines as "the finest in the world" was a propaganda triumph of Burgundy's Valois dukes. In any event, the worldwide archetype for Pinot noir is that grown in Burgundy , where it has been cultivated since 100 AD. Burgundy is the most northerly good red wine growing district in the World. Burgundy's Pinot noir produces wines that can age well in good years, developing complex fruit and forest floor flavors as they age, often reaching peak 15 or 20 years after

6649-679: The Central Coast's Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, the Santa Maria Valley , and Sta. Rita Hills American Viticulture Area in Santa Barbara County. In New Zealand, it is principally grown in Martinborough , Marlborough , Waipara , and Central Otago . The leaves of Pinot noir are generally smaller than those of Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah . The vine is typically less vigorous than either of these varieties. The grape cluster

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6758-1025: The Clare, Barossa, and Eden Valleys in South Australia, and in the southern growing region of Tasmania, though none are as renowned as those from Germany. Riesling is considered one of the grape varieties that best expresses the terroir of the place where it is grown. It is particularly well suited for slate and sandy clay soil. Today Riesling is Germany’s leading grape variety, known for its characteristic “transparency” in flavour and presentation of terroir , and its balance between fruit and mineral flavours. In Germany, Riesling normally ripens between late September and late November, and late harvest Riesling can be picked as late as January. Two common characteristics of German Riesling are that they are rarely blended with other varieties and usually never exposed to oak flavour (despite some vintners fermenting in "traditionel" old oak barrels already leached). To this last item there

6867-543: The Eroica brand. With annual productions of over 2,000,000 cases a year, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the worldwide leader in the production of Riesling wines by volume. In 2007 Pacific Rim Winemakers , another Pacific Northwest winery and owned by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon , has built the first wine facility in Red Mountain AVA dedicated completely to Riesling production. Riesling from this area ranges from dry to sweet, and has

6976-681: The Hessische Bergstraße there are 2 Bereiche (in bold) and 3 Großlagen. In the Mittelrhein there are 2 Bereiche (in bold) and 12 Großlagen. In the Mosel there are 6 Bereiche (in bold) and 19 Großlagen. See also Piesporter In the Nahe there is 1 Bereich (in bold) and 7 Großlagen. In the Palatinate, also known as Pfalz, there are 2 Bereiche (in bold) and 25 Großlagen. In the Rheingau there

7085-481: The Pinot family, ripening in typical climates can be dispersed by as much as four, and even six weeks between the very earliest (including Précoce) clones and the very latest ripening. Virus infection and excessive cropping significantly add to the delaying of Pinot noir ripening. Gouget noir is sometimes confused as being a clone of Pinot noir but, DNA analysis has confirmed that it is a distinct variety. In August 2007,

7194-578: The Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, New Zealand, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States, and Uruguay. The United States has increasingly become a major Pinot noir producer, with some of the best regarded coming from Oregon's Willamette Valley , and California's Sonoma County with its Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast appellations. Lesser-known appellations are found in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley ,

7303-658: The UK, the name 'Wrotham Pinot' is a permitted synonym for Pinot Meunier and stems from a vine that one of the pioneers of UK viticulture , Edward Hyams, discovered in Wrotham (pronounced 'root-am' or 'root-em') in Kent in the late 1940s. It was, in all probability, the variety known as 'Miller's Burgundy,' which had been widely grown on walls and in gardens in Great Britain for many years. Archibald Barron writing in his book, Vines and Vine Culture ,

7412-802: The Uco Valley), Patagonia, Neuquén Province and Río Negro Province . Pinot noir is produced in several wine-growing areas of Australia, notably in the Southern Highlands in New South Wales, Yarra Valley , Geelong , the Bellarine Peninsula , Beechworth , South Gippsland , Sunbury , Macedon Ranges and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Great Southern Wine Region in Western Australia, all Tasmania, and

7521-479: The better examples. In the weekend edition of the "Financial Times" of 21/22 April 2018 Jancis Robinson wrote about ... alternatives to red burgundy As "Rhenish", German Pinot noir is mentioned several times in Shakespearean plays as a highly prized wine. There is also a smaller-berried, early ripening, lower yield variety called Frühburgunder ( Pinot Noir Précoce ; lit.   ' Early Burgundian ' ), which

7630-464: The delicate nature of the Riesling grape requires special handling during harvesting to avoid crushing or bruising the skin. Without this care, the broken skins could leak tannin into the juice, giving a markedly coarse taste and throwing off balance the Riesling's range of flavors and aromas. A wine that is best at its "freshest" states, the grapes and juice may be chilled often throughout the vinification process. Once, right after picking to preserve

7739-423: The elegant characteristics of Riesling. The most notable is the Müller-Thurgau developed in the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1882, which is a cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale (although long believed to be Riesling x Silvaner ). Other Riesling/Silvaner crosses include the Palatinate regional favorite Scheurebe and Rieslaner . Kerner , a cross between Riesling and the red wine grape Trollinger

7848-558: The exceptions of Saxony and Saale-Unstrut, most of Germany 's major wine regions are located in the western part of the country. As of 2010, there were 41 Bereiche , 160 Großlagen and 2,632 Einzellagen . In the Ahr there is 1 Bereich (in bold) and 1 Großlage. In the Baden there are 9 Bereiche (in bold) and 16 Großlagen. In Franconia, also known as Franken, there are 3 Bereiche (in bold) and 22 Großlagen. 2 Einzellagen are großlagenfrei. In

7957-523: The extension of the growing season that is being observed. The Maritime climate combined with glacial soils contribute to the interesting expressions that are showing. Riesling is also widely grown in Luxembourg (where it represents some 12% of the vineyard), Hungary, Italy , particularly Friuli-Venezia Giulia , Croatia , South Africa , Chile and Central Europe , particularly Romania and Moldova , Serbia , Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In wine making ,

8066-533: The fungus Botrytis cinerea (" noble rot ") or by freezing and pressing (as is the case for ice wine - in German, Eiswein ), water is removed and the resulting ultra concentrated juice is used to make the sweet wines. These wines are felt to offer richer layers on the palate, and have more sugar (in extreme cases hundreds of grams per litre), more acid (to give balance to the sugar), more flavour, and more complexity. These elements combine to make wines that are amongst

8175-458: The genetic distance between the two parents imparting hybrid vigor leading to the viticultural selection of a diverse range of offspring from this cross (which may, nevertheless, have also resulted from deliberate human intervention). In any case, however, it occurred; offspring of the Pinot–Gouais cross include: Chardonnay , Aligoté , Auxerrois , Gamay , Melon and eleven others. Pinot noir

8284-471: The grapes' more delicate flavours. Second, after it has been processed through a bladder press and right before fermentation . During fermentation, the wine is cooled in temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks kept between 10 and 18 °C (50 and 64 °F). This differs from red wines that normally ferment at 24 to 29 °C (75 to 84 °F) Unlike Chardonnay , most Riesling do not undergo malolactic fermentation . This helps preserve

8393-551: The growth of the South African wine industry into newer areas, Pinot noir is now also to be found in cool climate Walker Bay and Elgin , the two oldest Pinot regions in the country. There are currently just over 1,200 ha of Pinot noir in South Africa, making up 1,5% of the total plantings in the country. The Top 5 Pinot noir Wine Awards annually recognizes the top South African Pinot noir red wines. In Spain, Pinot noir

8502-693: The late twentieth century, although it is unlikely that many vines from the cuttings supplied by Brock survive in any present UK vineyards. Indeed, despite the fact that today virtually all plantings of Meunier in the UK stem from French and German nurseries, the name Wrotham Pinot is still a legally acceptable synonym for this variety, although little, if ever, used by UK growers. Pinot noir can be particularly prone to mutation (suggesting it has active transposable elements ), and thanks to its long history in cultivation, there are hundreds of different clones in vineyards and vine collections worldwide. More than 50 are officially recognized in France compared to only 25 of

8611-556: The low temperatures in winter of the northern German regions would halt fermentation and leave the resulting wines with natural sugars and a low alcohol content. According to local tradition, in the Mosel region the wine would then be bottled in tall, tapered, and green hock bottles. Similar bottles, although brown, are used for Riesling produced in the Rhine region. Riesling is also the preferred grape in production of Deutscher Sekt , German sparkling wine . Riesling wines from Germany cover

8720-514: The many other varieties he grew. Brock said that when compared to supplies of Meunier from France, Wrotham Pinot: had a higher natural sugar content and ripened two weeks earlier. Hyams, ever the journalist in search of a good story, claimed that this vine had been left behind by the Romans , although he provided absolutely no evidence for this. Brock sold cuttings of 'Wrotham Pinot,' and the variety became quite popular in early English "revival" vineyards in

8829-399: The mentioning of "petrol" as a possible aroma on their German-language Wine Aroma Wheel , which is supposed to be specially adapted to German wines, and despite the fact that professor Ann C. Noble had included petrol in her original version of the wheel. The petrol note is considered to be caused by the compound 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (TDN), which during the aging process

8938-484: The most famous of these have been propagated from vines in the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg . Most other countries have sourced their Riesling clones directly from Germany, but they are sometimes propagated under different designations. A very rare version of Riesling that has recently received more attention is Red Riesling ( Roter Riesling ). As the name suggests, this is a red-skinned clone of Riesling (a skin color commonly found for, e.g., Gewürztraminer ), but not

9047-494: The most long lived of all white wines. The beneficial use of "noble rot" in Riesling grapes was discovered in the late 18th century at Schloss Johannisberg . Permission from the Abbey of Fulda (which owned the vineyard) to start picking Riesling grapes arrived too late and the grapes had begun to rot; yet it turned out that the wine made from them was still of excellent quality. Noble rot is employed in many viticultural areas, including

9156-569: The much more widely planted Cabernet Sauvignon . The French Etablissement National Technique pour l'Amelioration de la Viticulture (ENTAV) has set up a program to select the best clones of Pinot. This program has succeeded in increasing the number of quality clones available to growers. In the new world, particularly in Oregon, wines of extraordinary quality continue to be made from the (ex-University of California at Davis) Pommard (principally UCD4) and Wadensvil (UCD 1A and/or 2A) clones. Gamay Beaujolais

9265-598: The name of Schloss Johannisberg to mark the plants' origin. "Johannisberg Riesling" became a semi-generic name for Riesling until an agreement between the U.S. and EU prohibited its use in 2006. New York , particularly in the Finger Lakes region, was one of the earliest U.S. producers of Riesling. Plantings started to appear in California by 1857 and followed in Washington State in 1871. New York Riesling generally has

9374-589: The north to Central Otago in the south, become a major factor in New Zealand's reputation as a wine producer. In Slovenia , the Pinot noir is produced especially in the Slovenian Littoral , particularly in the Goriška Brda sub-region. In smaller amounts, the Pinot noir is also produced in Slovenian Styria . The wine is usually called Modri Pinot (Blue Pinot) or also Modri Burgundec (Blue Burgundy). With

9483-478: The petrol note is in fact more likely to develop in top wines than in simpler wines made from high-yielding vineyards, especially those from the New World, where irrigation is common. The most expensive wines made from Riesling are late harvest dessert wines (often amongst the most expensive in the world), produced by letting the grapes hang on the vines well past normal picking time. Through evaporation caused by

9592-490: The preference for fruitier young wines of this variety, seem more common in Germany than in Alsace or on the export market, and some German producers, especially the volume-oriented ones, have even gone so far as to consider the petrol notes a defect which they try to avoid, even at the cost of producing wines that are less suited to extended cellar aging. In that vein, the German Wine Institute has gone so far as to omit

9701-695: The red wines of Burgundy, mostly aged in French barriques . Some of the best Austrian Pinots come from Neusiedlersee and Blaufraenkischland (Burgenland), and Thermenregion (Lower Austria). Pinot noir has been grown in Ontario for some time in the Niagara Peninsula and especially the Niagara-on-the-Lake and Short Hills Bench wine regions, as well as in Prince Edward County and on the north shore of Lake Ontario . It has also been grown recently in

9810-535: The region is located in is in parenthesei. Pinot noir Pinot noir ( French: [pino nwaʁ] ), also known as Pinot nero , is a red- wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera . The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for pine and black. The word pine alludes to the grape variety having tightly clustered, pinecone—shaped bunches of fruit. Pinot noir

9919-493: The southern district Biobio . Pinot noir is increasingly being planted in the U.K. and is now the second most widely planted variety (305-ha in 2012), almost all of it for sparkling wine. Pinot noir has made France's Burgundy appellation famous, and vice versa. Wine historians, including John Winthrop Haeger and Roger Dion, believe that the association between Pinot and Burgundy was the explicit strategy of Burgundy's Valois dukes. Roger Dion, in his thesis regarding Philip

10028-532: The spelling Rissling . In Wachau in Austria, there is a small stream and a small vineyard both called Ritzling , which are claimed locally to have given Riesling its name. However, there seems to be no documentary evidence to back this up, so this claim is not widely believed to be correct. Earlier, Riesling was sometimes claimed to have originated from wild vines of the Rhine region, without much support to back up that claim. More recently, DNA fingerprinting by Ferdinand Regner indicated that one parent of Riesling

10137-502: The standard Victorian work on grape growing in the UK, states that the 'Millers Burgundy' also was found by [the famous horticulturalist] Sir Joseph Banks in the remains of an ancient vineyard at Tortworth, Gloucestershire – a county well known for its medieval vineyards . Hyams took the vine to Raymond Barrington Brock, who ran what was to become the Oxted Viticultural Research Station, and he trialed it alongside

10246-435: The tart, acidic characteristic of the wine that gives Riesling its "thirst-quenching" quality. (Producers of Sauvignon blanc and Pinot grigio often avoid malolactic fermentation for the same reason.) Riesling is often put through a process of cold stabilization , where the wine is stored just above its freezing point. The wine is kept at this temperature until much of the tartaric acid has crystallized and precipitated out of

10355-437: The use of (highly productive) Pinot Droit clones is reportedly still widespread in inferior, Village appellation, or even non-appellation vineyards, and Pinot Droit is consequently regarded, arguably with very good reason, as a (genetic) sub-form significantly inferior to classical, decumbent, 'Pinot fine' or 'Pinot tordu', clonal lines of Pinot. Frühburgunder (Pinot Noir Précoce) is an early-ripening form of Pinot noir. Across

10464-525: The vineyard"). The spelling Rießlingen is repeated in many other documents of the time. The modern spelling Riesling was first documented in 1552 when it was mentioned in Hieronymus Bock's Latin herbal . A map of Kintzheim in Alsace from 1348 contains the text zu dem Russelinge , but it is not certain that this reference is to the grape variety. However, in 1477, Riesling was documented in Alsace under

10573-449: The vintage. Many of the wines are produced in small quantities. Today, the Côte d'Or escarpment of Burgundy has about 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of Pinot noir. Most of the region's finest wines are produced from this area. The Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais regions in southern Burgundy have another 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres). In Jura département , across the river valley from Burgundy,

10682-466: The wine acquires a petrol note as mentioned above. Riesling is almost never fermented or aged in new oak (although large old oak barrels are often used to store and stabilize Riesling-based wines in Germany and Alsace). This means that Riesling tends to be lighter weight and therefore suitable to a wider range of foods. The sharp acidity/sweetness in Rieslings can serve as a good balance to foods that have

10791-469: The wine ages, Pinot has the potential to develop more vegetal and "barnyard" aromas that can contribute to the complexity of the wine. Pinot noir's home is France's Burgundy region, particularly Côte-d'Or . It is also planted in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, northern parts of Croatia, Czech Republic, England, the Republic of Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Hungary, Kosovo,

10900-478: The wine region), Großlage (a collection of vineyards within a district) and Einzellage (a single vineyard). A small number of Einzellagen do not belong to a Großlage and are called "großlagenfrei", but all belong to a Bereich and Anbaugebiet. The 13 major wine regions ( Anbaugebiete ) are Ahr , Baden , Franconia , Hessische Bergstraße , Mittelrhein , Mosel , Nahe , Palatinate , Rheingau , Rheinhessen , Saale-Unstrut , Saxony , and Württemberg . With

11009-432: The wine's production with prädikat levels measuring the sweetness of the wine. Equally important to winegrowers is the balance of acidity between the green tasting malic acid and the more citrus tasting tartaric acid . In cool years, some growers will wait until November to harvest in expectation of having a higher level of ripeness and subsequent tartaric acid. Before technology in wineries could stabilize temperatures,

11118-424: The wine. This helps prevent crystallization of the acid (often called "wine diamonds") in the bottle. After this, the wine is normally filtered again to remove any remaining yeast or impurities. In viticulture, the two main components in growing Riesling grapes are to keep it "Long & Low" meaning that the ideal situation for Riesling is a climate that allows for a long, slow ripening and proper pruning to keep

11227-483: The wines made from Pinot noir are lighter. In Champagne it is used in blending with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier . It can also appear unblended; in which case it may be labeled Blanc de Noirs . The Champagne appellation has more Pinot planted than any other area of France. In Sancerre it is used to make red and rosé wines, much lighter in style than those of Burgundy, refreshing served chilled, especially in warmer years when they are less thin. In Alsace it

11336-423: The year 1894: Friedrich Boscarolli - Rametz/Meran - Rametzer Burgunder 1890, Chorherrenstift Neustift - Blauburgunder 1890, R.v.Bressendorf - Vernaun/Meran - Burgunder 1890, C. Frank - Rebhof Gries Bozen - Burgunder 1889, Fr. Tschurtschenthaler - Bozen - Burgunder 1890 & 1891, Fr. Tschurtschenthaler - Bozen - Kreuzbichler 1889 & 1891 & 1887. Large amounts of Pinot were planted in central Moldova during

11445-427: The yield low and the flavor concentrated. Riesling is a versatile wine for pairing with food , because of its balance of sugar and acidity. It can be paired with white fish or pork, and is one of the few wines that can stand up to the stronger flavours and spices of Thai and Chinese cuisine . A Riesling's typical aromas are of flowers, tropical fruits, and mineral stone (such as slate or quartz), although, with time,

11554-521: Was first planted in New Zealand in the 1970s and has flourished in the relatively cool climate of the Marlborough area and for late harvests in the Nelson region. In comparison to Australian Riesling, New Zealand produces lighter and more delicate wines that range from sweet to dry. Central Otago , the home of cool climate wines, has recently emerged as another area producing terroir driven Rieslings. Riesling

11663-510: Was not necessarily the Pinot involved here; any member of the Pinot family appears genetically capable of being the Pinot parent to these ex-Gouais crosses. In 1925, Pinot noir was crossed in South Africa with the Cinsaut grape (known locally by the misnomer 'Hermitage') to create a unique variety called Pinotage . Pinot noir is produced in the wine-growing regions of Mendoza (particularly in

11772-471: Was propagated in 1936 by Henri Gouges of Burgundy, and there is now 2.5ha planted of this grape which Clive Coates calls Pinot Gouges, and others call Pinot Musigny. There is, however, no published evidence, nor any obvious reason, to believe that this is other than a (possibly quite fine) form of Pinot blanc, having simply arisen as a selected natural mutation of the original Pinot noir in the Gouges' vineyard. In

11881-555: Was the most grown variety in Germany with 23.0% and 23,596 hectares (58,310 acres), and in the French region of Alsace with 21.9% and 3,350 hectares (8,300 acres). In Germany, the variety is particularly widely planted in the Mosel , Rheingau , Nahe and Pfalz wine regions. There are also significant plantings of Riesling in Austria , Slovenia , Serbia , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Luxembourg , northern Italy , Australia , New Zealand , Canada , South Africa , China , Crimea , and

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