The Wine Institute

When the central character, Miles, in the hit movie, "Sideways," first extolled the virtues of Pinot Noir, U.S. supermarket sales of the variety jumped 18 percent between October 24, 2004 and July 2, 2005, compared to the same period a year earlier. The movie was released on October 22, 2004. Pinot Noir, however, had been steadily growing in popularity long before "Sideways" helped propel the wine into mainstream American awareness. In looking at winegrape production stats, California crushed 147,732 tons of Pinot Noir in 2010, well over four times the 32,000 tons crushed in 1990, according to the California Grape Crush Reports. Clearly, Americans are expanding their preference for the fresh raspberry, plum, rose and spice flavors and aromas that one can find in Pinot Noir.

The Pinot Noir Grape

Like the romantic relationships portrayed in the "Sideways" movie, Pinot Noir can be complex, elusive and difficult to grow. Yet many winemakers will make Pinot Noir because the resulting wines can reap a reward as great as the challenge. This noble red wine variety is ancient, described by Romans in 100 A.D. and cultivated in the Burgundy region of France as early as the 4th century. Pinot Noir is prone to genetic variation, and has more clones than any other variety. The University of California, Davis, has some 100 registered Pinot Noir clones. The variety does well in the coolest growing areas where it develops excellent color and flavor.

California Pinot Noir Grape Crush Tonnage

Source: California Agricultural Statistics Service.

Top 10 California Counties for Pinot Noir Acreage, 2010

Source: California Agricultural Statistics Service.