If the United States had a Facebook account and were in a relationship with the two grape varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, then some time ago this very relationship status would have been called "it's complicated". This is because the country has a kind of love-hate relationship with both grape varieties used in American wines, each of which led to a blatant on-off relationship.

But fortunately, the love story between the USA and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has something of a happy ending. Let's just take a closer look at the story of this complicated love. Because this is highly exciting! The settings are wines from California and wines from Oregon, the backdrops two blind tastings. In addition, we also clarify what two movies and the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) have to do with this particular love story. Here we go.

But that was ultimately the problem with Pinot Noir in the United States. Without a bang, there was no attention. Especially since in the 1980s the whole world was looking more to California than to Oregon. Chardonnay was to blame. Which finally brings us to the legendary "Judgement of Paris". That is, the blind tasting organized by Steven Spurrier, in which the Old World and the New World competed against each other. Namely Chardonnay from Burgundy and California as well as Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux and California.

At first, the blind tasting was dismissed as a lost labor of love. After all, it was clear to everyone present that French wines were vastly superior to United States wines in both cases. But then came the bang. First place went to a wine from California! Especially the Chardonnay 1973 from Chateau Montelena triggered a real hype about the grape variety after its victory. And for good reason. Because oenologist Mike Grgich let the Chardonnay mature for eight months in used barriques. Fun Fact: Grgich would have liked to use new barriques, but had none left. Which didn't matter much. Because his buttery, creamy, yet elegant Chardonnay caused a sensation in this way as well.

Meteoric Chardonnay rise in the United States

Such a style was not previously known in the United States. At most from Burgundy. But Burgundy was hardly drunk at all in the New World at that time. Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay style spread like wildfire in California. More and more wineries were growing their Chardonnay in wood. And due to the gigantic demand, there were numerous new plantings. Namely, from just under 10,000 to 23,000 hectares in 1990. In the meantime, there are even 41,000 hectares! Chardonnay is thus justifiably regarded as California's high-flyer par excellence.

But where there is a lot of light, there is also a lot of shadow. At the end of the 1980s, the extremely wood-emphasized Chardonnay reached its peak - and degenerated into a mass product. More and more wineries used wood chips to get the flavor right. Cheap productions with residually sweet, caramel-sticky Chardonnay wines flooded the market. And led to a countermovement: ABC. And no, we are not learning the alphabet now. Because ABC stands for "Anything but Chardonnay." This slogan was to be heard in the restaurants of the United States from the 1990s on more and more frequently. Wine lovers and experts resisted the pumped-up and clumsy Chardonnay style. They finally wanted fineness and elegance in the glass again!

That's exactly what was found in Pinot Noir at the time. However, not the growths from Oregon. They were still only something for real connoisseurs and lovers. But the wine world as such also looked to California. In 1947, the legendary oenologist André Tchelistcheff had already managed to conjure up a Pinot Noir from his Beaulieu Vineyard that did not need to fear comparison with the finest growths from Burgundy.

But until the 1970s, such elegant Pinot Noirs from California were actually rather a rarity. This is because the grape variety was planted in warm places right next to Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel. The latter like warmth and sun. Pinot Noir, however, does not. It needs it moderately to unfold its true splendor.

How Pinot Noir came to the coast and rivers

Tchelistcheff already stated: "God created Cabernet Sauvignon, the devil created Pinot Noir". Tchelistcheff did not mean to demonize the famous grape variety. Just the handling of the diva of all grapes in the vineyard. Pinot Noir does not like it too cool or too warm, not too damp or too dry. A lot of yield leads to thin wines, too late harvest to sweet and sticky growths. And it doesn't want to be plastered over by wood, because otherwise it tastes like a clown on sugar drugs. You can do a lot of things wrong.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what took place in California until the 1970s. But then, fortunately, there was a change in thinking. Or rather, a change of location. The winemakers finally realized that Pinot Noir produces better results on the coast than inland. Suddenly, Pinot Noir was being planted in Santa Barbara, Monterey and Mendocino. In Sonoma, too, the grape variety found ideal conditions along the Russian River.

A film saves Pinot Noir in the United States

Yes, the grapes were still a bit lush in the beginning. And especially a Pinot Noir from the Russian River can still be recognized at first sip thanks to its subtle Coca-Cola note. But the wines shine with finer rather than pumped-up fruit. A great advantage for the grape variety. Unfortunately, not for the Americans. They were tired of the opulent and high-alcohol Chardonnays - but they were only able to do something with the fine and leaner Pinot Noirs to a limited extent. After the initial hype at the beginning of the 1990s, sales figures declined steadily.

When the movie "Sideways" hit theaters in 2004, Pinot Noir led a niche existence. But this changed abruptly thanks to Miles Ode's tribute to the grape variety. It was his praise of the fineness of Pinot Noir that made American wine lovers think again about their taste. Or maybe not. In any case, people in the United States now wanted a lot of fine and elegant Pinot Noir. Preferably from California. Here, the vineyard area grew from 8,000 to 11,000 hectares after the film. It quickly became known that equally delicate grapes came from Oregon.