![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Grapevine-Pinot-Grapes-copy.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
By Gina Trippi<\/p>\n
Are you a seasonal drinker? White wine in the warmer months and red wine when it cools down? That works on opposite ends of the wine spectrum, but what about the months in between? September is one of those \u201ctweeners.\u201d<\/p>\n
You might be starting to think about serving white wine with a first course or a seafood salad lunch and saving red for the entr\u00e9e. But a full-bodied red, except on steak night, still seems a stretch for the table.<\/p>\n
Consider a lighter grape made in a lighter style. Pinot noir is made into wine all around the world and can range from a bold Sonoma Coast or Russian River bottle to a lighter Alsatian or New Zealand version. The grape itself is lighter in color and body than cabernet sauvignon, but don\u2019t let that fool you into thinking that the flavors are diluted. Quite the opposite is true!<\/p>\n
The pinot noir grape characteristically presents earthy aromas and can include flavors of baked cherries, plums, damp earth, mushrooms, cedar, cigars, chocolate, leather and dry leaves.<\/p>\n
Experts tell us that, of the classic grapes, pinot noir is the most difficult to make into wine. It mutates easily in the vineyard and is very sensitive to climate changes and variations in soil composition. This is what makes it a puzzle for a winemaker and a bit of a mystery to us.<\/p>\n
Something of a marriage between Burgundy and Oregon, a bottle of German pinot noir is perfect for September.<\/p>\n