Comparison
Nerello Mascalese vs Pinot Noir
Etna Rosso is compared to Burgundy so often that the comparison needs testing rather than repeating.
The short answer
The main differences: Pinot Noir has more spice; Nerello Mascalese has more acidity; Nerello Mascalese has more tannin.
Choose
Nerello Mascalese
Choose Nerello Mascalese if you want something fresher and more acidic, more tannic and structured, stronger and warmer.
Worth knowing
Pale colour, high acidity and a savoury, mineral character are genuinely shared. Nerello Mascalese is more tannic than most Pinot Noir and carries a volcanic, ashy quality Burgundy does not. It is also a child of Sangiovese, which is a fact about its genetics and not about its taste.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Pinot Noir is spicier: medium against low.
Acidity
Clear differenceTotal perceived acidity. Rises in cooler climates and with earlier picking; falls with heat and ripeness.
Nerello Mascalese is fresher and more acidic: high against medium-plus.
Tannin
Clear differencePhenolic compounds from grape skins, seeds, stems and oak. The principal structural axis of red wine.
Nerello Mascalese is more tannic and structured: medium-plus against medium.
Alcohol
Clear differencePerceived alcoholic strength, which tracks actual ABV but is modified by sweetness, acidity and body.
Nerello Mascalese is stronger and warmer: medium-plus against medium.
Aromatic intensity
Clear differenceHow strongly the wine smells before it is tasted. Some grapes are intrinsically aromatic; others express mainly on the palate.
Pinot Noir is more aromatic: medium-plus against medium.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Pinot Noir is more oaky: medium against low-medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Sweetness: Similar — both low.
- Body: Similar — both medium.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both medium.
- Savoury character: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Floral character: Similar — both medium.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Nerello Mascalese | Pinot Noir |
|---|---|---|
| Spice | low (1/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Acidity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Tannin | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | medium (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Oak influence | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically medium, ranging from low to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Sweetness | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Body | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from low-medium to high (4/5) |
| Floral character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from low-medium to high (4/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Texture | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Serve at | 14–16°C | 14–16°C |
| Typical flavours | red cherry, dried orange peel, ash, wild herbs, smoke | red cherry, raspberry, strawberry, forest floor, mushroom |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Grape
Nerello Mascalese
Mount Etna’s principal red variety: pale, high-acid, ashy and increasingly compared to Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir.
Grape
Pinot Noir
A thin-skinned, difficult, site-sensitive variety that produces the most perfumed and transparent red wines in the world.
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