Pinot Noir wines are among the most popular in the world. A guy called Joel Fleischman describes them as "the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous 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." and other Pinot lovers simply refer to them as "sex in a glass".
Pinot Noir's home is in Burgundy, France, but today it grows in most wine-growing regions in the world due to its popularity. It is notoriously difficult to grow due to its tight clusters and thin skin, and it also requires a great winemaker to release its potential and make balanced wines.
In the vineyard Pinot Noir is sensitive to wind and frost, cropping levels (it must be low yielding for production of quality wines), soil types and pruning techniques. In the winery it’s sensitive to fermentation methods and yeast strains and is highly reflective of its terroir with different regions producing very different wines. Its thin skin makes it susceptible to rot and similar fungal diseases.
The vines themselves are susceptible to powdery mildew and a bunch of other vine health problems. So why do everybody love Pinot Noir?
Well, it only takes a sip of a really great one to convince you.
"God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.". -André Tchelistcheff