The Caskaway

Whale Point Pinot Noir 2020 doesn’t qualify as a supermarket slurp, but it was a bargain from Dunell’s wine merchants in Jersey, retailing at just under ten pounds. Yes, I know it’s another Pinot Noir, but it is interesting as it comes from Northern Macedonia, the heart of the Balkan Peninsula. Sandwiched between Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Greece, and Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia is landlocked, yet the name and the bottle’s back label evoke a somewhat different image! It might be difficult to see whales in Macedonia. When researching this wine, I was even a little bemused as quite a few wine merchants listed the wine as Australian.

Macedonian Wines

Macedonia is perhaps most famous as the birthplace of Alexander the Great and became the centre of one of the largest empires in ancient history.  While it is believed that grapes were cultivated in the region as early as 2800 BC there were certainly vineyards by Alexanders time. His teacher Aristotle owned one in the area. Macedonian wines were shipped across the known world in distinctive clay amphorae. Today there are more than twenty-four thousand hectares of vineyards in 74 registered vineyards producing around ninety million litres of wine a year.

The climate in Northern Macedonia ranges from warm to hot weather in the summer and through into the autumn. Rainfall is limited and many vineyards irrigate their vines.  Accounting for almost forty per cent of all of the planted grape varieties Vranec is a native Balkan red grape, with plenty of acidity and tannins, and a lot of fruit flavours from cherry to bramble and plum, that produces both rosé and a range of red wines. However, vineyards are increasingly planting Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and other international varieties.

Not quite sure how many whales you can see in North Macedonia!

Whale Point Pinot Noir 2020

This wine is definitely at the fresh and fruity end of the wine spectrum. The grapes are fermented in neutral stainless-steel vats at controlled temperatures to help preserve the light summer berry flavours. A pale ruby red in the glass you can smell raspberries, redcurrants, and ripe cherries when you swirl it in the glass. Whale Point Pinot Noir is very easy to drink, smooth and with red fruit flavours, with a just a lick of acidity and body, and a little bit of a finish lingering in your mouth. It’s an interesting wine because it’s origin and pleasant enough to slurp over a catch-up with friends or pair with a roast chicken Sunday lunch.

Grape variety                                 Pinot Noir

Country of origin                           Macedonia

Region                                            

Vintage                                            2020

Alcohol                                            12.5%

Notes

Whale Point Pinot Noir 2020 is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.