Research Supplement
PINOT NOIR PROGRAMME
Deconstructing green and herbaceous notes in NZ Pinot Noir wines A study involving wine consumers and wine professionals Amalia Bernardes Borssato, Damir Dennis Torrico & Wendy V. Parr (AGLS Faculty, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand)
WHAT COMES TO MIND when we think about a quality Pinot Noir wine? Presumably, green characters are not at the fore of our thoughts and images of a quality Pinot Noir. In contrast to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, where a range of green characteristics has been shown to be essential to a wine’s varietal and regional typicality, red wines, in general, are not revered for expressing green notes. Vitis vinifera L cv. Pinot Noir produces a fine wine that is revered by critics for expressing attractive floral and fruit aromatics along with mouthfeel sensations that combine sensuousness with strength. Seldom do green and fresh herbaceous characters feature in critics’ descriptions of fine Pinot Noir wines. Nonetheless, in recent studies within the national research programme NZW 17-105, sensory researchers have demonstrated a link between the perception of ‘green/herbaceous’ characters in New Zealand Pinot Noir wines and judgements of low quality. The current article outlines a programme of PhD research based at Lincoln University and funded by a Bragato Research Institute scholarship that commenced in 2020 and is aimed at shedding light on the green and herbaceous notes perceived in Pinot Noir wines and their relation to judgements of overall wine quality. The project’s focus, investigating the perceived green and herbaceous attributes that drive judgements of quality in Pinot Noir wine, has its basis
NZ WINEGROWER AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2021 // 89