What to Pair With Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a dry red wine with hues ranging from deep purples to light crimsons. Generally, this wine will exhibit a fruit-forward character but earth-driven notes are also common.

If you’re a new fan of Pinot Noir, you’ll want to find a glass to bring out the fruity and spicy aromas. We recommend you use a burgundy glass. These have a bigger bowl which is important for bringing out the flavors of Pinot Noir by directing it right to the tip of your tongue.

What Pairs Well with Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a versatile wine and can be paired with a variety of dishes. More fruit-forward wines will pair better with pasta, fish, and chicken. Tannic wines pair well with stews, casseroles, and duck.

Chicken

Pairing Pinot Noir’s fruity notes with chicken, especially roasted chicken, is an excellent combination as the two play well with one another. A light chicken dish or one paired with pasta is recommended when eating alongside a glass of Pinot.

• Pinot’s acidity and earthy tone complements the flavors of chicken-based dishes
• Many Pinot Noir wines are low in tannins which keeps it from overpowering the flavors in the chicken

Duck

Duck’s strong flavor goes well with flexible Pinot Noirs. A glass of Pinot will not overpower the flavors in duck and the acidity of the wine will actually draw out the flavors from the fats.

Why it pairs well:

• The acidity in a glass of Pinot complements the fats in the duck
• The lower level of tannins in Pinot doesn’t overwhelm the strong flavors of a duck dish

Filet Mignon

The rich flavor of our filet complements tannic Pinots.

Sesame Seared Tuna

The light flavor of the sesame seared tuna pairs will our fruit-forward Pinots.

The History of Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is no newbie to the selection of wines available today. In fact, this variety has been around for roughly 1,000 years longer than Cabernet Sauvignon. This puts it with some of the oldest grapes globally.

The earliest noted presence of Pinot Noir dates back to the first century AD. The Romans loved the wine produced from Pinot Noir enough to bring it with them. Because monks controlled the wine production and Catholicism was rising, only the most favored grapes were grown to produce the best wine for the sacrament. Hello, Pinot Noir. That’s right, in reality, we have Catholicism and Romans to thank for the ever-popular glass of Pinot Noir today.

There are currently 40 mutations of Pinot Noir in existence which vary greatly from one to the next. Pinot Noir seems to vary enough to meet the preferences of every wine drinking and any pairing it’s put up against.

Pinot Noir isn’t easy to grow. Not in the slightest. In fact, some say it will pick up any and every disease and mutation known to grapes. It must be grown in shorter seasons as it prefers cool weather but is sensitive to frost and is prone to a number of rain-related problems.

Our Featured Wine from Halleck Vineyards

We are currently featuring our restaurant exclusive, Hillside Cuvee from Halleck Vineyards. This Pinot Noir leads with red fruits like pomegranate and cranberry. It is rich and elegant and lingers for many minutes.

Our sommelier recommends Hillside Cuvee be paired with the filet or tuna. It is currently available for $114.

For informational purposes only.