🍷 Discover the Enchantment of the Heartbreak Grape 🍷
Pinot Noir wine is the most highly prized wine in the world. Called "the noble grape" in France, for good reason as it has been coveted by kings and commoners in large part for its magical abilities with food. If you are ever ordering wine at a restuarant for a large crowd of people, Pinot Noir is a safe bet as it is most likely to compliment most people's meals!
Colloquillay known as the "heartbreak grape", it is a much riskier investment for both growers and winemakers than other wine varietals. The grape clusters are usually small and difficult to ripen evenly, the skins are thin and there is a propensity to suffer a variety of diseases!
That risk is one of the reasons it is highly sought after (and can be expensive). Andre Tchelistcheff, one of America’s most influential winemakers declared that “God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.”
Having said that, however, we believe this varietal to be quite heavenly!
2023 Iona, Mr P Knows Pinot Noir, Elgin
Regular price £20.79 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 117): Computation results in '-Infinity'%Mr P, is a "Pinot for the people", showing all the characteristics of classic, high quality Pinot Noir at an affordable price. Iona's Wine Making Philosophy - 'The Winemaker is the Custodian of the fruit'
Tasting Notes
Elegant, fresh cherry and red berry nose with undergrowth melange. The palate is pure with lovely texture and sweet cherry fruit dominates with spicy undertones. The wine is fresh and intense with real vibrancy.

Producer
At 420m above sea-level, set high above the picturesque Elgin Valley Andrew Gunn founded Iona. It is here overlooking the Atlantic ocean that he has secured some of the coolest vineyards in the Cape. In a country where cool climate vineyards are like gold dust, these vineyards are veritable nuggets. There is an extremely long growing season, allowing Andrew to create wines with complex flavours and a fresh, elegant style. The approach is hands off and the land is farmed according to organic and biodynamic practices with a particular focus on ensuring the health of the soils whilst pests are kept under control by the resident flock of geese that roam the vineyards.
Production
The Pinot grapes for this wine come from Langrug, one of Iona's small farms in the Elgin Valley, with a unique terroir. Here diverse soils, fanned by cooling ocean breezes ensure perfect conditions for slow ripening, allowing the grapes to develop their intense flavours, complexity and finesse. Grapes are hand harvested, de-stemmed and not crushed. 10% whole bunch fermented for complexity. The must is fermented in stainless steel tanks at 28’C with regular punch downs during fermentation. Once pressed off, the wine were racked to 2nd , 3rd and 4th fill French barrels; Matured for 11 months.
Accolades & Award
TIM ATKIN MW 2023 SOUTH AFRICA SPECIAL REPORT [ 90/100 ]
"From Langrug farm in Elgin. Lively red fruit mingles with plum and savoury notes from pre- and post-ferment macerations. Older oak, 11 months, polishes sappy tannins. Respectable and dapper, already approachable with a few years in store.”
PLATTER’S WINE GUIDE [4 stars – 87/100]
Specifications
| Year | 2023 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Pinot Noir |
| Country | South Africa |
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| Units of Alcohol per Bottle | 10.1 units per bottle |
| Type | Red Wine |
| Food Matching | Salmon, duck, roasted mushroom. |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Origin | Elgin |
| Appellation | WO Western Cape |
2022 Umbrele, Pinot Noir, Vilie Timisului Romania
Regular price £11.79 Sale price £10.37 Save 12%A bold, fruit‑driven Pinot Noir with irresistible richness
Tasting Notes
Ruby red in colour. Gorgeous flavours, almost syrupy in its concentration. Dark, rich and potent, with layers of complex black cherry, raspberry and cinnamon. Deep, with pretty fruit cake and spicy aromatics.

Producer
Back in 1988, three families decided to invest in a winery in Romania, starting with 650 hectares of slightly unloved vineyards and a rusty, once state-owned winery.
Yet Englishman Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira, have turned the Cramele Recas Estate into the most successful winery in Romania. Recas are now recognised globally for their impressive scale and breadth of fascinating wines, including natural and orange wine from organic grapes. Despite the scale the emphasis is on making good wines that over-deliver, and as a result they’ve struck on a magic formula that has seen sales and demand boom. Vineyards are a combination of evolved plantings from 1447 and more recent planting, whilst the winery has seen significant investment and boasts state of the art facilities where innovation thrives. Recas are in every way a modern, dynamic winery, whose open minded approach and quality sets them apart … a winery you really can’t ignore.
Production
100% estate grown grapes from the Dealul Uberland vineyard. The altitude here is around 250 m, with soil rich in iron oxide and loess on fractured limestone bedrock.
25% of the grapes were transfered directly into 1000 Kg bins without being destemmed then sealed and put through a carbonic macceration fermentation for 10 days in order to produce the strawberry fruit part of the blend. The remaining 75%was destemmed lightly crushed and then macerated and fermented normally at 25°C in stainless steel automated fermenters. Both wines were then seperately pressed and the noncarbonic maceration wine was lightly oaked for 2 months before blending.
Specifications
| Year | 2022 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Cultivar | 100% Pinot Noir |
| Country | Romania |
| Alcohol content | 12.5% |
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9.4 units |
| Type | Red Wine |
| Food Matching | Pasta with mushroom ragu. |
| Cellaring Potential | 1 year |
| Allergen Information | Contains sulphites |
| Origin | Timis County |