Where does Pinot Noir rank among planted red grape varieties in California?
A. It’s the 2nd most planted red variety
B. It’s the 6th most planted red variety
C. It’s the 10th most planted red variety
D. It’s the 3rd most planted red variety
A.
Plantings of Pinot Noir have been increasing for a decade in California, especially in cool appellations with proximity to the Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, it’s the second most widely planted red grape in the state after Number 1, Cabernet Sauvignon. Coming in at numbers 3 and 4 are Merlot and Zinfandel respectively. Pinot Noir also grows over an especially long swath of territory in the state, from the Anderson Valley of Mendocino in the north to near Los Angeles in the south—a distance of almost 500 miles.