Professor emeritus, food and beverage writer, consultant to the restaurant industry,and book reviewer
PINOT MEUNIER In the Champagne region, farmers produce seven grape varieties, but most wineries employ only three varieties for their wines: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. Pinot Meunier (aka schwarzriesling in German) is a fruity red grape variety used less often than chardonnay and pinot noir. Pinot Meunier wines smell of sour cherries, mushrooms, pomegranates, and occasionally potting soil. The wines are bone dry and medium-bodied with an average of 10 to 12 per cent ABV. Pinot Meunier is also made as a still red wine and marketed as Bouzy Rouge after the town where most Pinot Meunier is grown. They should be served at 12 – 15 C in red wine glasses. Pair with grilled vegetables, sauteed mushrooms, pork roasts, pizzas, pasta with meat sauce, and semi-hard cheeses.