If the pinot noirs from Burgundy are food friendly, then it stands to reason that pinot noirs from other places should be so. At times at Chef Mavro, we have had as many as five pinot noirs among our wine pairings. It is not to say that another wine or grape variety wouldn't go with these dishes, but of the wines we had to choose from, the pinot noirs often worked best. At one time on our food & wine pairing menu there was a pinot noir from Germany, New Zealand, and California, plus two from France.

Pinot noir is grown all over the world from its home in Burgundy, France, across the border into Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain and Italy down into South Africa, and into New World spots such as New Zealand, Australia, and, of course, the United States. The wines produced in each of the regions and countries vary as greatly as the cultures and climates.

Mostly seen on its own, pinot noir is one of the three grapes permitted in the blending of champagne and is sometimes blended with gamay, the grape responsible for the beaujolais wines of France. It has a few synonyms around the world, among them blauburgunder, blauer spatburgunder, klevner and pineau.

Generically speaking, the Old World pinot noirs tend to be earthier with higher acidity than the New World ones. New World pinot noirs have more fruit flavors, lower acid and higher alcohol, due to warmer climates and riper grapes.

In Germany, pinot noirs tend to be lighter in style with subtle flavors, and they can be very floral on the nose. There is not a lot of pinot grown in Germany, and it is relegated to the southern growing regions due to the cooler climates of the country. It can be hard to find pinot noirs from Germany here, which also can be said for pinots from Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Spain.

Pinots from New Zealand and Australia are often very fruity on the nose and the palate, and are very juicy in style. Those from Central Otago in New Zealand can be a little earthy and spicy.

Pinot noir is grown across the U.S., but California leads the wine in production. The wines from the U.S. can run the full spectrum of flavors and styles with the varied climates and winemaker techniques available. Some are very soft and delicate while some are massive and very un-pinot like in character. It is simply a matter of trying as many wines as you can from the different regions and finding the region, winemaker or style most suitable to your taste.

Some pinot noirs I've seen around town lately are: