"Why are you so into Pinot?"

I remember when I saw the movie "Sideways" for the first time. It made me understand how important wine and knowledge about wine is. The people in the movie had a passion for wine that I was just beginning to feel.

In one of the scenes of the movie, the main character, Miles, shares why he loves Pinot noir so much when asked the question, "Why are you so into Pinot?"

Now, please understand, at the tine I really didn't know much about Pinot noir. I had made lots of wine at home but never Pinot noir.

And then I saw the scene. And I wanted to try Pinot noir.

Pinot noir, like Miles says, is not the easiest grape to grow. The famous red wines from Burgundy, France, are made with the Pinot noir grape.

It is a cooler climate grape and makes subtler wines than Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah.

And there is a lot of bad Pinot noir out there. I've had some of them, let me tell you. If you have a cheaper Cab Sauv or a cheaper Merlot, that's not the best but it can still be drinkable. However, a cheap, crappy Pinot noir tastes thin or watery and can even have a sour taste to it. I remember having some cheaper Pinot noir and being so disappointed (and wondering, what the hell is Miles talking about).

Fast forward to more recent times. The Okanagan is now growing a lot of Pinot noir (perhaps more than any other grape) and is having a lot of success with it. On our last trip a few weeks ago, we did happen to come back with a couple of bottles of Pinot noir.

Last night we were visiting relatives in Port Moody (which happens to have four excellent craft breweries nearby but that's for another day).  We grabbed a bottle of Stoneboat 2013 Pinot noir ($24.90) and a lasagna from Costco. I'm not sure if it was the ideal pairing but, luckily, while the four of us waited for the lasagna to cook, we drank most of the Pinot noir while we chatted.

The Stoneboat was an enjoyable wine and was the first wine that seemed more garnet than ruby that I've tasted since I've started writing this blog. The Pinot noir was also very clear. The smell of black cherries was the most obvious smell and taste and there were also hints of grapes (not sure what kind - probably Pinot noir!), tobacco, and even rhubarb. I'm still working at identifying the different smells and tastes of the more complex wines. It was a medium bodied wine and had some light tannins with a long finish.

I think I need to do some more exploring into Pinot noir. My only worry is that I would really like to try some of the better ones from Burgundy but I don't know if my desire to drink fine wine matches my ability to earn wine money....