Is it really a surprise that more and more Niagara wineries are producing more and better pinot noir ? Or that pinot noir is quickly becoming a signature Niagara wine and regional favourite. After all, the Niagara Peninsula shares much in common with Burgundy, the world’s greatest terroir for pinot noir, including a cool climate and limestone-based soils.
Long before the term "the heartbreak grape" was coined to describe the fickle nature of pinot noir, pioneering California winegrower André Tchelistcheff explained, "God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the Devil made pinot noir."
Growers and winemakers are just starting to understand pinot noir and recognize its potential in Niagara. Pinot noir demands a greater investment of time and effort in the vineyard and at the winery. For instance, pinot noir benefits from aging in expensive, new French oak barrels.
The name "pinot" comes from the French pineau (pinecone), so named because the grape clusters are pinecone shaped with very tight grape arrangements - leaving little room for air to circulate throughout. Resultantly, pinot grape bunches are very susceptible to humidity and rain.
The pinot noir grape has a very delicate skin that provides its intense perfume and intoxicating complexity, but again, makes it more susceptible in the vineyard.
Pinot noir has a more delicate flavour profile than the "big reds". Classic pinot noir characteristics are strawberries, cherries, damp soil and barnyard. But all pinot noir discussions start and end with mouth-feel. Great ones exhibit a velvety suppleness, a penetrating flavour and a soft finish. ( Source: Waters & Wine )
A handful of Niagara vintners - Le Clos Jordanne, Tawse, Lailey and Hidden Bench - already produce great pinot noir, establishing the Niagara benchmark for the varietal. However, other wineries are courting "the heartbreak grape", including Konzelmann, Flat Rock Cellars and Rosewood, whose pinot noir won GOLD at the 2008 Canadian Wine Awards.