Anatomy of the global expansion in Pinot Noir plantings

Pinot Noir is rapidly increasing its share of the global vineyard bearing area and being grown in an increasing number of regions and wider range of climates. This article seeks to better understand why. Recently updated data on winegrape bearing area in the world’s winegrape regions reveal the extent of those trends, and basic economic data on gross revenue per vineyard hectare are compiled to help understand them in Australia and California. In both jurisdictions, Pinot Noir enjoys prices above the average for other varieties in each region, and proportionately more so within hot inland regions than within cooler regions. Moreover, in some key cooler regions with more-appropriate terroir, gross revenue per vineyard hectare is nonetheless below that in hot regions because of much lower yields. If the cost of production per hectare is higher in the smaller vineyards in cool regions, then it would further weaken their comparative advantage. Should the retail prices of Pinot Noir-based wines reflect the winegrape prices in the various regions reviewed, the very wide range of the latter suggests that younger/less-affluent wine consumers are able to enjoy the variety earlier than they would have in the absence of Pinot Noir plantings in warm regions.