From light and sparkling to fuller, oaked expressions, it’s a grape which requires attentive management in the vineyard and skilful winemaking to get the best out of it. In honour of International Pinot Noir Day (18 August), we are holding a week-long celebration of this highly influential grape.

In terms of genealogy, Pinot Noir (along with Gouais Blanc) is the parent of Chardonnay and Gamay. Despite its difficult nature (giving it the nickname “the heartbreak grape”), this thin-skinned variety has left a deeper impression on global viticulture than perhaps any other grape.

Today it isn’t just Burgundy that is producing exceptional Pinot Noir. All over the world, from Central Otago to Oregon, there are winemakers devoting themselves to this variety, and that has made great Pinot Noir much more accessible to consumers.

One country where it has come on leaps and bounds is Chile, with Cono Sur being a producer that has pioneered Pinot Noir production, planting it in Casablanca and San Antonio – the Humboldt Current cools the valleys, preserving the best characteristics of the grapes. These favourable conditions have enabled Cono Sur to create high quality wines which won’t break the bank.

Cono Sur general manager Paul Konar notes how the winemaking has changed over the years: “In 2009 we built a cellar which was specially designed for Pinot Noir fermentation with a total capacity of 428,000 litres of open top tanks. This cellar allowed us to ferment our Pinot Noirs gently extracting the right tannins and finding the right fruit profile of Pinot Noir. Lately we have been working as well with the oak balance selecting cooperages and defining times in barrels, also adding bigger casks (Fudres) in the ageing. On the vineyard side we have been working in the picking time, probably anticipating it from what we did in the past searching for freshness and good acidity.”

There is plenty more to come, as Konar explains: “Probably the most exciting project we have in Pinot Noir is our new vineyard in Bio Bio valley where we have planted 56 hectares between 2018 and 2020. On vintage 2022, we had our first harvest and the quality we received was really outstanding. We have great expectations for the future of this vineyard and also for the region.”

He continues: “We are also transforming new hectares into organic management as we have an increasing demand for our Cono Sur Organic Pinot Noir. In our high end Pinot Noirs we are currently focusing in San Antonio valley where we believe we have currently the best potential for Pinot Noir in Chile.”

Cono Sur’s range demonstrates the potential of Pinot Noir. In the video below, db editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW explores how the Chilean winery has created a full spectrum of wines with the variety: