The revered but finicky Burgundian pinot noir grape is difficult to grow and vinify, making winegrowers suffer and wine drinkers swoon. Our Drinks Editor James Viner selects seven bottles that show how far this ancient grape has travelled beyond France…
Pinot deserves its heartbreaker moniker. It buds early, leaving it vulnerable to frost, and its thin skins and tight bunches invite rot and disease. Get it right, though, and the rewards are extraordinary, including a haunting perfume and a silky, supple texture.
Burgundy wrote the rulebook, but pinot noir has travelled far beyond its spiritual home. Germany, where it is known as spätburgunder, New Zealand and Australia are now major strongholds, while in England only chardonnay occupies more vineyard area. Champagne also relies heavily on pinot noir: it is the region’s most widely planted variety.
Here are seven bottles to savour this autumn. Serve the still wines lightly chilled at 12–14°C and the Champagne at 10°C.
1. 2024 Palataia Pinot Noir, Pfalz, Germany
£10, Marks & Spencer, 13%
Nab this terrific, keenly priced pinot noir from the sunny, dry Pfalz, Germany’s second-largest wine region. Plum-packed and slightly gamey, it shows hints of oak and allspice on the finish. Ideal with roast duck.
2. 2024 Devil’s Corner Pinot Noir, Tasmania, Australia
£15, Tesco, 12.5%
Tasmania may be famed for fizz, but its cool climate suits still pinot noir too. Rosehip, dark cherry and raspberry lead into a light, silky palate, with gentle spice and refreshing acidity. Fresh, tangy and joyously gluggable, it is a good reason to look beyond Tassie’s bubbly. A banker with mushroom risotto or duck.
3. 2023 Abbotts & Delaunay, Domaine de la Métairie d’Alon Pinot Noir Le Village, Languedoc, France
£18, The Wine Society, 13.5%
The high-altitude vineyards of western Languedoc around Limoux provide the cooler conditions the variety favours. This is all about balance: bright red berries, savoury freshness and discreet oak, with enough finesse to echo Burgundy without the high price tag. One for mushroom linguine.
4. 2023 Berry Bros. & Rudd New Zealand Pinot Noir by Greystone Wines, North Canterbury, New Zealand
£20.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 13%
Marlborough sauvignon blanc put New Zealand on the wine map. Increasingly, though, its cool-climate chardonnays and pinot noirs deserve equal attention. This tiptop organic example from the Waipara Valley, north of Christchurch, is satiny with flavours of red cherry, dried herbs, rose and pomegranate, alongside earthy notes. Marvellous with monkfish.
5. 2025 Balfour ‘1503’ Pinot Noir,
Kent, England
£21, mix 6, Majestic, 12%
Balfour in Kent is helping to broaden the English wine story beyond sparkling wine. The 2025 ‘1503’ pinot noir is its best yet, marrying spiced cranberry and red plum with a subtle earthy note. The finish lingers, lifted by tangy acidity. Tuna steak or turkey with cranberry sauce, anyone?
6. 2025 Stopham Estate Pinot Noir,
West Sussex, England
£30, Stopham, 11%
Stopham Estate is known for its still pinot blanc and pinot gris, both colour mutations of pinot noir. It just released its maiden still red pinot, with 900 bottles produced. Light and brisk, with baked red berries, spice and earthy notes, it is a sensual charmer, with lip-smacking, perky acidity. Simply irresistible. Hello charcuterie and roast game. The future for English still reds looks decidedly rosy!
7. NV Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne, France
£28, down to £25, 14 October – 27 October, Waitrose, 12%
Made by Maison Bonnet in the Aube, where 80% of the vineyards are planted with pinot noir (Champagne has even more of it than Burgundy), this aromatic, red-fruited, biscuity and substantial all-pinot noir sparkling gem is a treat. On offer from 14 to 27 October, around World Champagne Day (23 October). Superb with aged Comté.
