Like it or\nnot, Pinot Noir, especially when served with food, is irrefutably one of the\nbest red wines to have on the menu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Pinot\u2019s\npractically mandatory link to food is often viewed as both its own best friend\nand worst enemy: Pair it up properly and the wine is unbeatable; try drinking the\nwine on its own and the enjoyment level is diminished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s Pinot\nNoir\u2019s perception as a wine with stand-alone limitations that often rubs some\nwine enthusiasts the wrong way. Frequently relegating the Burgundy-based French\nvarietal to the bottom of their wine list, they favor bolder, fruit-forward reds\nsuch as Zinfandel or Malbec. They\u2019re also perfectly content to overlook Pinot\u2019s\nfood-friendly flavor profile that includes high acidity, earthy\/savory\ncharacteristics, and understated fruit flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pinot\nlovers, on the other hand, embrace these qualities. For them it\u2019s Pinot Noir at\nmealtime and little else, leading to a schism of wine drinkers hopelessly\ndevoted to the grape\u2026many with the same level of dedication they might afford\nto the family pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in\nthose terms, make no mistake; where Cabernets and Merlots might be considered\nbig, bouncing Golden Labs and Collies, Pinot Noir is clearly the Siamese Cat. You\nmay love it, you may hate it, but either way it demands your respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHY IT WORKS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinot Noir\nis generally lighter in body, lower in alcohol, lower in tannins, and capped\nwith a finish of brisk acidity. These features combine to make the wine an\nideal choice to serve with a wide variety of foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\naddition, Pinot Noir\u2019s flavor profile is often composed of more subtle, nuanced\naromas and tastes that won\u2019t overwhelm the flavors of the food. Brighter,\nleaner fruits of cranberry, red currant, and cherry tomato, gentle herbs and\nspices of cinnamon, pepper, and rosemary, floral notes of violets and rose\npetals, and oak-aging influences of smoke, truffle, and vanilla are just a few\nof the descriptors you\u2019re likely to encounter while considering this complex\nwine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s this\nbroad range of characteristics that give Pinot such a huge advantage in\ndeciding which foods to serve with it. The wine\u2019s high acid content makes it\nideal to contrast with the richness of salmon, duck, lobster or cream-based\nsauces. At the same time, its earthy and savory qualities make it a natural to\ncomplement foods with similar features such as mushrooms, herbed beef or pork\ntenderloin, and even gamier meats including lamb, quail or pheasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BUDGET-FRIENDLY RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One\nsticking point that might act as a deterrent to some is Pinot Noir\u2019s price.\nBoth foreign and domestic choices can frequently run in the $30 to $50 to even\n$75-a-bottle price range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so,\nthere are plenty of solid, easier-on-the-budget selections that are readily\navailable and worthy of considering. Here are a handful of recommendations to\nget you started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domaine du Prieur<\/strong>\u00e9<\/strong> 2017 Bourgogne Hautes-C<\/strong>\u00f4<\/strong>tes de Beaune <\/strong>(about $17) \u2013 This beautiful wine is a prime example\nof solid, yet affordable Pinot Noirs that are relatively easy to find from\nFrance\u2019s Burgundy region. Lovely pale ruby color, aromas and flavors of bright\ncherry, raspberry, and strawberry, and a finish of red plum highlight this\nlighter-bodied Pinot. Try it with a Gruyere cheese and Shitake mushroom quiche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bellingar Estates 2015 Pinot Noir <\/strong>(about $20) \u2013 Oregon winemaker Evan Bellingar has\ndone a fine job with this easy-to-drink, flat-out delicious Pinot sourced\nprimarily from Willamette Valley vineyards. It features red currant, cranberry,\nand red cherry fruits, along with hints of black tea and a splash of acidity on\nthe finish. The wine earned silver medal honors at the 2018 Bellingham\nNorthwest Wine Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Portteus Vineyards 2017 Pinot Noir <\/strong>(about $20) \u2013 Pinot prefers cooler-climate growing\nregions, but winemaker Paul Portteus has found a home for the grape at his\nZillah vineyards in sunny Eastern Washington. Lavender and fresh herbs on the\nnose lead to a core of dried cherry fruit, while an intriguing hint of orange\nzest and Pinot\u2019s signature underlying earthiness come through on a lengthy\nfinish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rodney Strong 2015 Russian River Valley\nPinot Noir <\/strong>(about $21) \u2013 From one of\nCalifornia\u2019s premier growing regions in the Sonoma Valley comes this nicely complex\nPinot at an unbelievable price. Fragrant red fruit and violet aromatics, layers\nof dark cherry and plum, and a slightly smoky finish with touches of cinnamon,\nclove, and toasted oak. Duck, grilled pork chops, and mushroom risotto come to\nmind as excellent food-pairing choices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This article originally appeared, in part, in the June, 2019 issue of Bellingham Alive Magazine Like it or not, Pinot Noir, especially when served with food, is irrefutably one of the best red wines to have on the menu. But Pinot\u2019s practically mandatory link to food is often viewed as both its own best friend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-from-the-bellingham-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4042"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4052,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4042\/revisions\/4052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danthewineguy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danthewineguy.com.dream.website\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_4197-2-1024x575.jpg\")
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