CONSULTATION COLLABORATION PARTICIPATION

The Pinot Noir Project

The Pinot Noir Project is a hub for knowledge exchange. Offering opportunities for interdisciplinary researchers and industry representatives to collaborate and share their findings, we encourage deeper understanding of this iconic grape variety. Through systematic studies of Pinot Noir combining cultural and scientific perspectives, we aim to examine its enduring appeal and future challenges.

We welcome participation from all who wish to explore the complexities of Pinot Noir, going beyond standard narratives and received wisdom to engage critically with current research and practical experiences from around the world.

Why Pinot Noir?

Pinot Noir holds a unique place in the world of wine. It has a long history and a complex mythology. Many producers believe that – of all grapes – it provides the truest translation of terroir. Sommeliers, wine critics, distributors and other intermediaries have raised Pinot Noir wines to some of the highest prices in the industry.

It attracts consumers who are willing to wait years to make it onto a Burgundian allocation list and join elite clubs to access rare treasures with other Pinotphiles. Despite all the discussions and debates Pinot Noir has provoked, there are always more questions to ask of this enigmatic grape.

Our Approach

Our interdisciplinary team of researchers from Business, Economics, History, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Media, and Wine Science start by asking questions:

Why is Pinot Noir so challenging, so desirable, and so expensive?

What creates its elevated status across all sectors of the wine industry?

Does the industry benefit from perpetuating tales of the terroir-sensitive ‘heartbreak grape’?

Are new Pinot Noir narratives evolving as climate change and globalised markets produce unpredictable environmental and commercial contexts?

We work across boundaries – both geographical and disciplinary – to bring together the best minds to answer these questions. And then we ask some more…

Announcement

Pinot Noir: Australian Perspectives

Melbourne Workshop

15–17 July, 2026

University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

The Pinot Noir: Australian Perspectives workshop will be held in Melbourne, immediately following the 18th annual conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Perth, Western Australia, July 8–13, 2026.

The aim of the Workshop is to introduce participants to Pinot Noir’s position in the Australian wine industry, focusing on the State of Victoria, which produces the highest volume and value Pinot Noirs in the country.

For more details, click here

Meet the Team

Jacqueline Dutton

Professor of French Studies and Founding Director of The Pinot Noir Project, University of Melbourne, Australia
Steve Charters MW

Professor of Wine Marketing, Burgundy School of Business, France
Graham Harding

Wine historian and Wine Steward of St Cross College, Oxford, UK
Julian Alston

Professor Emeritus Agricultural and Resource Economics, Director of the Centre for Wine Economics, Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, University of California – Davis, US
Marion Demossier

Professor of French and European Studies (Anthropology), University of Southampton, UK
Peter Howland

Lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology, Massey University, New Zealand
Olivier Jacquet

Wine historian and executive project manager, UNESCO Chair – Cultures et Traditions Vitivinicoles, University of Burgundy, France
Jennifer Smith Maguire

Professor of Cultural Production and Consumption, Sheffield Business School, and Associate Dean, Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange, Sheffield Hallam University, UK