Vinous

Grape profile · black berries

Pinot Noir

Also Pinot Nero in Italy; Spätburgunder / Blauer Spätburgunder in Germany (official name); Blauburgunder in Austria, Switzerland, Alto Adige; Kékburgundi in Hungary.

123,060 haWorldwide (2023)
14–16 °CIdeal growing season
EarlyRipening

Where it is a main grape

175 appellations name Pinot Noir as a main grape, in 506 wines: 288 red, 97 sparkling, 72 rosé, 37 white, 8 other, 3 fortified, 1 sweet.

France89
Italy59
Bulgaria12
Romania8
Belgium3
Austria1
Czechia1
Germany1
Hungary1

01 · The vine

What it is like to grow

Ripening
Early
Budburst
Early
Vigour
Medium
Berry size
Small
Skin
Thin
Bunch
Small, tight and winged; looseness varies by clone
Aroma class
Neutral
Colour (anthocyanins)
Low
Tannin
Low
Spring frost risk
High
Typical yield
3–9 t/ha

Disease risk

  • Botrytis bunch rotHigh
  • Downy mildewMedium
  • Poor fruit set (coulure, millerandage) in cool damp floweringMedium

Family and chemistry

Origin:France (Burgundy); first recorded 1283 ('Moreillon'); 1375 ('Pinot Vermeil').

Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc are colour mutations; Pinot Meunier is a mutation. 'Pinot' x Gouais Blanc gave 16 varieties including Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté, Melon, Auxerrois and Blaufränkisch (Bowers et al. 1999).

Sensitive to spring frost (early budburst); very resistant to winter frost.

No acylated anthocyanins; malvidin-3-glucoside about 60% of the total (Wenzel et al. 1987).

Key aroma compounds:β-ionone (floral, red and dark berry); β-damascenone (effect less clear)

02 · Where it grows

123,060 hectares worldwide

Up from 41,539 ha in 1990: about 3.0 times as much.

France
34,517 ha
USA
29,592 ha
Germany
11,512 ha
Italy
10,566 ha
Australia
6,042 ha
New Zealand
5,615 ha
Chile
4,100 ha
Switzerland
3,758 ha
Romania
2,833 ha
Argentina
1,944 ha
South Africa
1,212 ha
UK
1,150 ha
Austria
599 ha

Area by country, latest available year (Anderson and Puga 2025).

World area over time

42k
1990
69k
2000
99k
2010
107k
2016
123k
2023

Faded bar: provisional figure.

03 · Climates it is grown in

7 regions on one scale

Growing-season temperature (1991–2020) of regions where Pinot Noir is a leading grape, against the 14–16 °C band where it is usually thought to do best (Jones 2006). Southern-hemisphere seasons run October to April.

Central Otago12.7 °C
Baden15.2 °C
Willamette Valley15.4 °C
Marlborough15.5 °C
Burgundy (Côte d'Or)15.9 °C
Alto Adige · 300–500 m17.1 °C
Sonoma (Russian River and Sonoma Coast)17.3 °C
Each region's 1991–2020 averages, coolest first. Profiles combine Copernicus ERA5-Land with local weather-station averages.
RegionSeason °CDegree daysHuglinSeason rain mmRipening nights °CDay–night range °CAgainst the band
Central Otago · S12.7697(Ia)1,2682415.913.8Well below the band (−1.3 °C)
Baden15.21,142(Ib)–574––Inside the band
Willamette Valley15.41,206(Ib)1,8123109.415.0Inside the band
Marlborough · S15.51,167(Ib)1,57633510.410.8Inside the band
Burgundy (Côte d'Or)15.91,321(Ib)1,80945610.710.7Inside the band
Alto Adige · 300–500 m17.11,555(II)2,22058210.213.1Well above the band (+1.1 °C)
Sonoma (Russian River and Sonoma Coast)17.31,574(II)2,10113710.018.2Well above the band (+1.3 °C)

The growing season month by month

Average daily temperature in each month of the season, aligned so that month 1 is April in the north and October in the south.

Month 1
Apr / Oct		Month 2
May / Nov		Month 3
Jun / Dec		Month 4
Jul / Jan		Month 5
Aug / Feb		Month 6
Sep / Mar		Month 7
Oct / Apr
Central Otago9.611.814.415.915.412.89.3
Baden9.814.017.519.619.515.210.7
Willamette Valley9.813.416.219.819.816.911.5
Marlborough12.814.416.517.817.615.813.2
Burgundy (Côte d'Or)10.414.318.220.520.116.111.5
Alto Adige · 300–500 m12.016.219.921.721.216.711.7
Sonoma (Russian River and Sonoma Coast)13.515.618.118.819.219.116.8

Where the numbers come from

Sources

  1. cnr-grinzane-9676
  2. oiv-2017
  3. anderson-puga-2025
  4. jones-2006
  5. huglin-1978
  6. extension-pinot
  7. wenzel-1987
  8. usda-crush-2025
  9. tomasino-2021
  10. nzw-2024
  11. oregon-census-2024
  12. wikipedia-pinot-noir
  13. Regional climate profiles calculated by Vinous: method
Still to check (3)
  • Confirm VIVC 9279 on vivc.de
  • Typical harvest acidity and pH ranges
  • Current Champagne and Burgundy hectares (BIVB, Comité Champagne)