… brought to you by your flirtatious friends at Vinesse
Eight down, two to go. And by the time our No. 1 selection gets through reading about No. 2, we may have to deal with a severe case of Pinot envy.
The Top 10 Sexy Wines of All-Time
No. 2 — Pinot Noir
Winemaker Scott Rich put it all into perspective.
“Ultimately,” Rich once said, “any discussion of the aromas and flavors in Pinot Noir comes down to a discussion of sex.”
Consider some of the words often used to describe Pinot Noir:
* Silky
* Supple
* Sensual
* Seductive
And those are just a few of the ones that start with S.
Lettie Teague, wine editor for Food & Wine Magazine, once noted, “I never realized how much time winemakers spend thinking about women until I broached the topic of Pinot Noir.”
Teague pointed to Greg Crone of New Zealand’s Brancott Vineyards, who likened a man’s evolution toward Pinot Noir to his maturing taste in women — it is “like graduating from Pamela Anderson to Grace Kelly.”
(Although I’m pretty sure it would be fun to share a bottle of Pinot with Pam…)
Any number of wine writers have described Pinot Noir as “sex in a glass.”
But the sexy variety got its biggest boost of the new millennium from the film “Sideways,” in which the Pinot Noir-obsessed character Miles gave movie-goers this vivid description:
“Pinot is a hard grape to grow… It’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s not a survivor like Cabernet that can grow anywhere and thrive when neglected. Pinot needs constant care and attention and, in fact, can only grow in specific little tucked-away corners of the world.
“And only the most patient and nurturing growers can do it really, can tap into Pinot’s most fragile, delicate qualities. Only when someone has taken the time to truly understand its potential can Pinot be coaxed into its fullest expression.
“And when that happens, its flavors are the most haunting and brilliant and subtle and thrilling and ancient on the planet.”
“Sideways” found its audience over a few months, and it didn’t take long for Pinot Noir sales to skyrocket. Who wouldn’t want to be associated with such a sexy-sounding wine?
Of course, some renditions of Pinot Noir are sexier than others.
Just like people.
– – – – –
The Top 10 Sexy Wines of All-Time
The List So Far…
10. Moet & Chandon Champagne
9. Any Port in a Storm
8. Mouton-Rothschild
7. Martin & Weyrich Moscato Allegro
6. Cycles Gladiator
5. Trentadue Chocolate Amore
4. Lady in Red
3. Marilyn Merlot
2. Pinot Noir
Tomorrow: No. 1
