Everything You Need to Know About the Australian Pinot Noir

Every wine enthusiast knows how appreciated Pinot Noir is in the wine world. This thin-skinned grape variety produces wines that are soft, easy to drink, and layered with floral, fruity, and earthy characteristics. It’s no surprise that Pinot Noir is a favourite among red wine enthusiasts.

Origins of Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir originates from Burgundy, France, where it thrives in the renowned Côte d’Or region. Its history is as rich as the wines it produces, with the first recorded reference to the grape as “pinoz” dating back to 1375. Over the centuries, Pinot Noir has become the ancestor of several well-known grape varieties, including Marzemino, Teroldego, Durif, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and even Cabernet Sauvignon.

While it is now grown worldwide, Burgundy remains the spiritual home of Pinot Noir. Monks in French monasteries first cultivated and refined the grape, laying the groundwork for the sophisticated wines we enjoy today.

Pinot Noir arrived in Australia in the early 1800s with the James Busby collection. Early attempts to establish the grape were met with challenges, but it eventually found success in regions like Geelong and the Yarra Valley. Despite setbacks such as the phylloxera outbreak in the 1880s, these regions saw a resurgence in the 1970s. Today, Australian Pinot Noir wine is celebrated globally for its quality and distinct regional character.

Winemaking Process

The careful selection of grapes is the first step in the painstaking process of creating Pinot Noir. Maintaining the grapes in the vineyard, bringing out their essence during fermentation, and allowing them to age to perfection all require a careful balance. Each stage is an important step in creating this elegant drink.

The winemaking process can vary from one manufacturer to another. Some use traditional methods like open-top fermentation. This maximises the flavour extraction. Some wine producers use French oak barrels to add more flavour complexity and carefully bottle the wine so they preserve its integrity.

Tasting Characteristics

The flavour profile of Pinot Noir can differ significantly depending on where it is grown and whether it has been aged in oak. Cooler climates produce light-bodied wines with high acidity and subtle notes of raspberry, cherry, and plum. These wines often carry earthy undertones, such as hints of mushrooms or a leafy forest floor aroma.

In warmer regions, Pinot Noir tends to be less acidic and more fruit-forward, with pronounced cherry and raspberry flavours. These wines are typically light to medium-bodied and offer a softer palate.

When aged in oak barrels, additional flavours such as vanilla and soft spice can emerge, enhancing the wine’s complexity. To better understand a bottle’s tasting notes, pay attention to its growing region, as this often provides valuable clues about its flavour profile.

Best Foods to Pair It With

Pinot Noir is renowned for its exceptional versatility in a wide range of food combinations. It pairs well with many different foods because it has intricate flavours, balanced acidity, and medium-bodied character. If you want to go for a classic, pair Pinot Noir wine with a succulent duck. The wine’s fruity notes will balance and harmonise with the rich flavour of the meat.

Pinot Noir also has some earthy flavours that will also go well with creamy risottos and mushroom-based recipes. People often pair it with salmon because it complements nicely its fatty, delicate texture. Some wine enthusiasts like to have it with lightly spiced Thai or some Chinese dishes. And if you’re a fan of cheeses, the pinot noir will work perfectly with sharp goat cheese, brie and blue cheese.

Best Australian Growing Regions

Tasmania

The Tasmanian region is one of the biggest producers of Pinot Noir red wine in Australia. It has so much potential and has already achieved so much that winemakers have still so many opportunities to explore. This is an area that is constantly investing in winemaking and increasing the production of high-quality wines. Every part of Tasmania produces a different-flavoured pinot. They can be light and full-bodied, rustic or sophisticated.

Geelong & Henty

Geelong’s pinot noir has good depth and concentration and nice green olive fruit and dark cherry flavours. The area has more wind and less rainfall. This created tougher soils and greatly influenced the making of the powerful and brooding wines of Bannockburn and Farr.

Henty is the coolest region in Australia. Besides Chardonnay and Reisling, Pinot Noir is a classic vine that grows and thrives in these areas. Each wine has intense flavours, a touch of elegance and acid.

Macedon Ranges

Of the five districts that encircle Melbourne, this one is the windiest and coolest, and many of the grapes there are more suitable for producing sparkling wine than table wine. Pinot Noir from the high area displays depth, delicacy, and restraint. Pinot is a tough grape to showcase and accentuate its full ripe flavour, but Bindi and Curly Flat show that if you choose the right growing site, you can have it all.

Mornington Peninsula

With a little wetter and cooler environment and an average harvest date of one to ten days later, the wines of the Mornington Peninsula can be compared to those of the Yarra Valley overall. The only difference is that they’re less structured. Yabby Lake and Paringa Estate are the two prime exceptions. They produce wines with remarkable depth and complexity.