Pinot Noir grapes

The Pinot Noir grape is one of the most famous and popular varieties. It is he who serves as the raw material for the legendary Burgundy wine. Other Pinot Noir wines, including champagnes, are receiving rave reviews from winemakers and consumers. The variety is a technical variety. His homeland is the fertile lands of France, or rather, specifically, Burgundy. The taste and aroma of grapes depends on the weather, climate and care, so in each case it may have its own characteristics.

The Pinot Noir variety has many other names: Arbst Blauer, Augustiner, Blauer Spätburgunder, Burgunder. And also the variety is known as Ver dore, Gross (Blau) Burgunder, Gentile noir, Morillon. Okrugla ranka, Cerna okrugla, Shpachok, Pinot cheren and Pinot fran are all one and the same variety. And this is only a part of the well-known synonyms-names of the famous Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir is one of the progenitors of a myriad of varieties known today, including: Aligote, Gue blanc, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir. In France, about 40 of its clones are officially registered. But today there is no single version about the origin and name of the variety itself. Presumably, Pinot Noir got its name because of the similarity of the bunch with a pine cone (pinot). And it is also possible that the name of the variety has a connection with the French region of Auvergne. It was there, in the Pignols area, that grapes grew in the Middle Ages.

As for the origin, Pinot Noir is determined by the French residence. But even here it is not complete without alternative versions. According to some documents, it was the Romans who once popularized this variety in France.

It is believed that the best Pinot Noir is grown in Burgundy. This is favored by the cool climate and limestone soils in the region. Of course, the geography of planting varieties is not limited only to France. The grapes are grown on plantations in Austria, Argentina and Australia, the Pinot Noir vineyards stretch in the Canadian lands, in the northern regions of Croatia, in Chile and Germany, in Georgia and in Italy, in Hungary, Romania and Moldova, Macedonia, New Zealand and South Africa, and also in Serbia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, USA and Uruguay. It is successfully grown by Ukrainians, Czechs and Slovaks.

Pinot Noir is highly susceptible to sun, fungus, mold and rot. Thin-skinned berries are especially sensitive to temperature fluctuations. The grapes of this variety are highly dependent on terroir. Pinot Noir bushes are medium-sized, with erect shoots.

The period from flowering to harvest is 141-151 days. Ripening is considered late.

Dense clusters of cylindrical or cylindrical-conical shape. The weight of an individual bunch ranges from 66-120 grams.

Rounded dark blue fruits with a bluish bloom. The pulp contains up to 3 seeds. The berry weighs approximately 2-3 grams. The skin is thin and firm.

The harmonious taste of the dense pulp is revealed by the berry aroma. When tasting, there is a raspberry-strawberry flavor, cherry tones. In the aftertaste of the grapes grown in southern climates, notes of violets sound. Sugar content 214 g / dm3. Acidity 7.7 g / dm3.

Low-yielding, but highly rated variety. Prone to peas. The berries ripen around mid-September. Bunches are collected by hand, very carefully.

It is possible to get a high-quality harvest of this grape only if all the standards of care are observed.

The crop is sensitive to planting conditions and demanding in terms of soil quality and light intensity. It is better to grow it in the southern areas, it is also allowed on the slopes. Loose clayey limestone is considered the most acceptable soil. The acidity of the soil is regulated to the norm of 6.5-5 pH. As it grows, the bush can densely overgrow with foliage, which must be partially cut off, ensuring the penetration of sunlight to the bunches.

When planting in the spring, the pits begin to be prepared in the fall. They are dug out, observing a distance within 100 cm. The row spacings are located at a distance of 1-1.2 m. When planting in the fall, they are engaged in preparing the pits in three weeks: they arrange drainage, and then apply fertilizers.

The seedlings are planted carefully, taking care not to damage the rhizomes. Then the soil is compacted and watered, mulching of the root zone is carried out. To do this, you need peat or straw with a layer of 5-10 cm.

The Pinot Noir grape has bisexual flowering. This ensures sufficient pollination, even in the rainy summer season and when there are few pollinating insects.

Bushes require shaping. Shoots are cut into 2-3 eyes. Pruning is done with a sharpened, sanitized shear blade. Once a year, all unnecessary and diseased shoots are cut off.

Watering is not recommended too often. It is worth making irrigation ditches near the bushes. It is desirable to install a drip system, which would be even better option for grapes of French origin. The first watering occurs in early spring. Watering stops at flowering and 2 weeks before it starts. In summer, a sufficient volume of water for an adult bush is considered to be from 40 to 60 liters.

3-4 additional fertilizing per year is required starting from 3 years after planting the crop. The first feeding is carried out before flowering by diluting 50 g of nitrophoska in 1 bucket of water, and the next one is necessary 2 weeks before the formation of berries. 20 grams of potassium magnesium and ammonium nitrate are added to a bucket of water. For a couple of weeks to harvest, you need to feed the bushes with potassium salt in an amount of 20 grams with an equal amount of superphosphate dissolved in 10 liters of water. After harvesting, the final, fourth feeding is needed. This time, fertilizers (humus, superphosphate) are mixed into the soil during the digging process.

Winter hardiness is quite high, the variety can withstand -22 degrees. In areas with cold winters, the grapes should be covered. In this case, mulching with peat or humus is shown. The bushes are hidden under the covering material. Even a frost-affected vine quickly recovers with the onset of warming.

Grapes are susceptible to mildew and powdery mildew to a moderate extent, and to a weak extent to gray rot of the leafworm. For this variety, it is very important to carry out preventive treatments for parasites and diseases throughout the season. Treatment is shown at intervals of 1-2 months.

This grape variety is unsuitable for long-term storage. Having harvested the crop, they immediately start processing or selling it.

In most wine regions around the world, the variety is grown by winemakers. To achieve the ultimate tannin levels, the fruits are squeezed directly with the brush.

Winegrowers revered this variety for its amazing bouquet of taste and aroma. The range of Pinot Noir wines is very wide: simple sweet and sour wines, complex aromatic samples of the highest brand.

The variety is also used for the production of champagne (with Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay), still rosé wines.