04/25/05 Monday question-US vs. French Pinot Noir

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran and today we are answering questions from our email. Recently a listener wrote to ask; "Why is it that the Pinot Noir called Burgundy from France and the Pinot Noir from the United States don't taste the same at all? And which one is best?" Trying to explain the differences between French Pinot Noir, or Burgundy, and Pinot Noir produced in the United States is a big topic. But - Let me begin by saying that if the true concept of wine is that it tells you about itself by having characteristics that identify the physical place that it originated and a philosophy or style from the winemaker -then all wines should be different from one another. The adventure of drinking wine is in the celebration of those differences. To begin with, Burgundy is part of what is known as the "Old World" of wine where, until very recently, the tradition of upholding their uniqueness was paramount. The United States is part of the "New World" of wine and the styles are different from the "Old World", possibly due in part to a differing climate, winemaking philosophy, and market driven tastes. So -the basic differences in winemaking philosophy between French and American Pinot Noir producers accounts for one of the major differences. Even within the U.S. the regional climatic differences contribute greatly to an enormous array of styles. The Pinot producer is tied to the land and the climate that produces the fruit. So - neither wine is "best" they are different and I recommend that you embrace that difference. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.