Pinot Noir is responsible for some of the world’s finest wines. Famed for producing the red wines of Burgundy and the Côte d’Or in particular, it is now widely grown in cool climates across Califonia and Oregon, and with increasing success in New Zealand. Although typically used to produce varietal wines, Pinot Noir makes a significant contribution in the wines of Champagne, where it is vinified as a white wine and blended with Cardonnay and Pinot Meunier. On the whole, fresh summer fruit of strawberries, raspberries and red cherries tend to be the identifying qualities, however richer versions express darker fruit including black cherries (kirsch), cherry cola, leather and violets to name a few.
Mendoza is Argentina’s most important wine region, responsible for two-thirds of the country’s overall wine production. Located on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border, vineyards in Mendoza are grown in some of the highest altitudes in the world. Mendoza did not play a significant role in the wine industry until the late 19th century when an immigration trend brought large amounts of Southern Europeans with significant wine knowledge to the region. This elevated Mendoza to world-wide recognition and established it as the fifth largest wine region in the world.
While Malbec grows exceptionally well in this region, Mendoza in also known for producing Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Torrontés.
Red wine is wine made from dark-coloured grape varieties. The color of red differs based on the grapes variety or varieties used.
Interestingly, black grapes yield a juice that is greenish-white. The actual red color comes from anthocyan pigments (also called anthocyanins) from the skin of the grape (exceptions are the relatively uncommon teinturier varieties, which produce a red colored juice). Most of the production centers around the extraction of color and flavor from the grape skin.
