Wine note November 2021
2019 Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir (Lidl £7.99)
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is so popular that it accounts for three quarters of the country’s wine production. The two Burgundy grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, come next at around 6% each.
This Pinot comes from Hawkes Bay in the North Island, a region with a climate like that of Bordeaux.
Good Pinot Noir at less than ten pounds a bottle is difficult to find and New Zealand is not where you’d usually look. But this wine shows lots of characteristic red fruit on the nose with a little of the gaminess that makes pinot interesting. There’s red fruit on the palate, too, balanced by acidity and tannin.
If you want a true taste of Pinot for not a lot, look no further. The TV ad says
“Big on quality, Lidl on price”. I can’t argue with that.
John Freeland (u3a Wine Tasting Group)
Illston-on-the-Hill WI November 2021 update
