see Durif
see Durif
see Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
[PEE-noh GREE]
Gris is French for “gray,” which presumably refers to the grayish hue of this member of the Pinot family. Pinot Gris grapes can vary widely in color from silvery blue to grayish violet to ashen yellow. The grapes’ varying colors produce wines that range from white to slightly pink. The style of wines ranges from crisp, light, and dry—such as those produced in northern Italy (where Pinot Gris is called Pinot Grigio), to the rich, fat, honeyed versions from France’s Alsace region (where
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see Meunier
see Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
[PEE-noh NWAHR]
The red grape of France’s Burgundy region. It’s responsible for the great (and expensive) red wines from Burgundy’s Côte d’Or region, which include those from Beaune, Bonnes Mares, Chambertin, Corton, Musigny, Pommard, Richebourg, Romanée-Conti, and Volnay. Pinot Noir is thought to have been grown in France for over 2,000 years, perhaps even prior to the Roman invasion of this area. The Pinot vine is described as “genetically unstable,” meaning that it mutates very easily, which
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see Négrette
Pinotage
[pee-noh-TAHJ]
A South African cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (which the South Africans call Hermitage, thus the derived name Pinotage). This red-wine grape was bred in 1925, but it wasn’t until wines made from Pinotage won awards in 1959 that it became popular. Pinotage is now extensively grown in South Africa with small amounts in California and New Zealand. The best examples of Pinotage wines are medium-bodied and subtly flavored—better than most Cinsaut wines but not as good as Pinot Noir.
The Portuguese word for barrel is pipa. A pipe is, in fact, a large, lengthy barrel or cask with tapered ends. It’s used for aging and shipping wine and is used extensively for port and also for Marsala and Madeira. Pipes range in capacity from 418 to 630 liters (1101⁄2 to 1661⁄2 U.S. gallons). In Portugal’s Douro region where most port is made, the standard pipe measures 550 liters (145 U.S. gallons). In Vila Nova de Gaia where much of the port wine is aged, pipes vary in size,
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The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
