Carmen Ercegovich
08/18/2021 2:48 PM
Clarín.com
Gourmet
Updated 08/18/2021 5:45 PM
I have to start by apologizing for the title.
Calling Pinot Noir "Hollywood wine" is not fair for a strain with its own name and history, but if you did not know it, maybe I managed to capture your attention, something increasingly difficult when we are over-informed and hyper-stimulated through so many platforms.
And trust me,
Pinot Noir deserves attention.
That said, it is likely that most
wine or film lovers will quickly remember
Sideways,
Alexander Payne's cult film
premiered in Argentina as
Entre copas
in 2004,
which brought world fame and made the iconic strain of French Burgundy
after the film wins an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.
The story of the obsessive Miles (Paul Giamatti) and
his personal crusade against Merlot and in favor of Pinot Noir
was the best (or worst, depending on which side you look at) marketing strategy that no winery could dream of, as it increased by more than a 150% production of the second varietal in the United States the decade after the premiere and caused an explosion of tourism in Santa Barbara, California.
The actor Paul Giamatti in a scene from the movie Sideways - "Between drinks".
In
Argentina
, the film was far from being a super blockbuster and, furthermore, in those years, the wine industry was
just beginning to experience its own revolution, starting with Malbec
, which became the national flagship strain due to quality. quantity and an aggressive promotion of the public and private sector that even promoted the creation of a World Malbec Day every April 17.
On the other hand,
the Argentine palate, perhaps accustomed to reds with more body and reluctant to change, felt (does it feel?) Pinot Noir "too soft"
.
This is how the so-called
heartbreak grape
was being relegated among the preferences of the public and it is still difficult to find it in supermarket shelves;
not so, luckily, in wine bars, restaurants and wine bars.
The fragility of the Pinot Noir grape requires great care for its vinification.
Photo: AFP
The Argentine Pinot Noir that beat Malbec (and everyone)
Talking about winners or losers with respect to the quality of a wine is always a subjective arbitrariness
.
However, sometimes the data of an award, a score, a ranking, a statistic, helps more subtle phenomena to manifest themselves more explicitly.
At Clarín Gourmet we usually emphasize that these recognitions help the industry to put the product on the international map and gain prestige, that is why we usually disseminate the annual reports of specialized publications and critics.
Thus, last year,
an Argentine Pinot Noir
stood out in a ranking like no other had done so far: it was chosen as wine of the year among the 100 best in the world by the American critic James Suckling.
Better than a French Grand Cru or an Italian Brunello di Montalcino
, for example, in case we needed the European reference to see where we were standing.
Chacra Treinta y Dos Pinot Noir 2018, made in Río Negro, was the "wine of the year 2020" for critic James Suckling.
The
Chacra Treinta y Dos Pinot Noir 2018
from Bodega Chacra was made with grapes from a vineyard of less than 2 hectares located in Mainqué, a small town in the department of Gral. Roca,
north of Río Negro, one of the provinces where the strain it expresses itself in its splendor.
What has been said: those 100 points of Suckling are nothing more than the opinion of a critic, but that joins other voices in favor of
the great specimens that this delicate grape achieves in the country
throughout its 1,993 hectares planted
in more than 15 provinces, from Salta to Chubut
, according to data from the National Institute of Viticulture from 2021.
Who is Pinot Noir for?
Sommeliers usually recommend it for those who are new to wine consumption, as it is one of the freshest and most drinkable reds.
At the same time,
lovers of subtleties adore its elegance and the fragility of the grape
, perennial in the glass, that the character of Payne's film described like no one else.
8 Argentine Pinot Noir to try
Swipe to explore
"I am attracted to her thin, temperamental skin," said Miles, "It is not like Cabernet, which can grow anywhere and survive even when neglected. In fact, it only grows in specific, isolated corners of the world. Pinot needs constant care and attention.
Only those who take the time to understand the potential of Pinot Noir can then extract its maximum expression
.
"
Some of those corners of the world where the exquisite Pinot Noir displays its beauty are, in addition to the
Alto Valle de Río Negro, the Valle de Uco in Mendoza
, the
Valle del Pedernal in
San Juan, the
Calchaquí
Catamarca and Salteño
valleys
, the Andean town of Trevelin, La San Patricio del Chañar area, in Neuquén, and the Buenos Aires coast, in Chapadmalal, among others.
Hopefully no one needs to have seen the film or a critic's score to find any of these reds and if not, the excuse is well worth it.
Look also
Bonarda week: wines and reasons to fall in love with this strain
What are and how much do Argentine wines with gold and platinum medals cost at the Decanter 2021 awards