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If you’re a Pinot Noir fan, you know what you like, but you don’t always know where else to look. You like fresh, lifted red berry character that is clear and expressive. You’re all about light to medium body with soft, ripe tannins that disappear after a sip. Lightly chilled isn’t off your radar either, you know that sometimes there is nothing better than a red that’s been in the fridge for 20 minutes. The problem is, the wine world can be a mysterious place (we’re doing our best to change that) and the pull of a classy Pinot Noir on a wine list can be so strong that we stop short of broadening our horizons in the Light and Elegant category. If this sounds like you then welcome, to our Light and Elegant selection.

Cooler climates tend to be where we find the more lifted and ethereal reds, think northern Italy, northern France, central Europe and the coastal areas of the New World. The thinner-skinned grape varieties that thrive here develop flavour characteristics that are juicy and mouth-watering. Often, this is flanked by a singing acidic profile that lifts these flavours to levels of elegance that make them difficult not to like. It can be a struggle, though, to make a light red wine that isn’t diluted, you need strong flavours so a wine isn’t boring, but not so strong that we feel bitterness, tannin or over-extraction. This is an art form, and it takes a great winemaker to produce such wines. It’s for this reason that poor quality light-bodied reds can taste like under-rationed squash. Don’t worry – you’ll find none of that here!

In some of the finest light and elegant red wines, the notes of cranberry, strawberry and raspberry are accompanied by savoury, spicy and herbal characteristics. Look out for cracked white pepper in the Ronchi di Cialla RiNera, dusty rocks in the Johanneshof Reinisch Zweigelt, and dried oregano in the Le Salette Valpolicella Classico. Always fruity, always fresh, never overblown – pop one of these in the fridge thirty minutes before we arrive for some charcuterie and you’ll have some happy guests.

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