It's tempting to believe that the all pervasive varietals on every shelf are the sum total of the great red grape varieties. You see lots of Cabernet Sauvignon, you see lots of Merlot, but Pinot Noir isn't often there as a varietal. Well, it is and it isn't. In France the system for labelling wine concentrates on the area it comes from, not on what grapes it's made from. That part of equation is controlled by the laws of 'Appellation Controllee', which specifies for each area what vines may be planted, in what density, how they should be pruned and so on. So the regulations on labelling mean you won't find the grape varieties on the label - you're expected to know that Beaujolais is made from Gamay, that white Burgundies are made from Chardonnay and red ones from the Pinot Noir.

So yes, you can drink a French Pinot Noir varietal, just look for a red Burgundy. The trouble with encouraging people to drink Burgundies is that the best of them don't come cheap. There are names in Burgundy that have the same effect on wine lovers that names like Petrus, Cheval Blanc, Le Pin and Latour have in Bordeaux. Just about any wine made by Domaine Romanee Conti will be wonderful and very expensive. Names likes La Tache, Grand Echezeaux, Clos des Mouches are all evocative of superbly made wines and have price tags to match.

The Pinot Noir grape differs from the Cabernet and the Merlot in that it tends to make a lighter bodied wine. You can make huge, dense, jammy wines with either Merlot or with Cabernet, but it's not so easy with the Pinot. The wine is lighter in colour, it tends to be less tannic and so lasts less long, its bouquet is subtle and elegant. If the Cabernet and the Merlot are the heavyweights, then the Pinot is the middleweight. It has all the skill and all the art of the other two, it's just a little lighter.

This delicacy of flavour is why this red grape is used in the best champagnes. In Champagne the grapes are pressed and the resulting must isn't left in contact with the skins, so it doesn't take on their colour. Good champagnes will have a high proportion of Pinot Noir in the blend. Of all the French grapes, the Pinot Noir is the one that has been least successful when exported to other countries. Its thin skin, its propensity to rot and its lack of resistance to frost make it a very hard grape to grow successfully. In parts of California it works well, but it's still at its best when French.

Wine of the Week

Pernand Vergelesses, 2000 Domaine Rollin Pere et Fils

Without having to spend a fortune, here's a wine that will give you that essential 'Pinot' flavour and bouquet. This exhibits all the traditional qualities of a Burgundy - an almost feminine softness, yet with an underlying structure. This wine offers a bouquet of light fruit and opens up well in the mouth, releasing flavours of berry fruits. It has the taste and the quality of a much more expensive Burgundy.

Available Superquinn, RRP €18.99 on sale at €15.86