The word terroir may seem a bit pretentious to some. This may be because of it’s perceived affected “Frenchy” pronunciation or because initially the only people who talked about terroir were in the wine industry or were wine snobs showing off their substantial knowledge of all things wine related.
However, there is something to say about the terroir of each different appellation and even further, of each individual vineyard. In the past years, many different appellations have been classified in California due their unique terroir, which proves that their soil, weather, conditions, etc are different enough from their neighbors to warrant their very own growing region. While this makes it harder and harder for the general public to figure out a wine bottle-it also speaks for some of the different qualities we find in wines from these areas.
As far as I’m concerned-I don’t NEED to know about the terroir of a vineyard where the grapes were grown for the wines I drink most nights at home. But I do WANT to know. And if I were attending a wine tasting for a certain region or country, I might want to delve a little deeper and get to know exactly what differences in ‘nature’ (think nature vs. nurture) were present for these wines before they became, well….. wines. How much does the nature vs the nurture (winemaking procedures, oaking, ageing, etc) differentiate these wines when they are the final product?
I can taste the difference in a wine that has been French Oaked vs. American oaked. I can taste the difference in high alcohol/low alcohol and sugar content. But-can I taste the difference in how the grapes were grown?
At Michel-Schlumberger we think: Yes. Terroir definitely plays a major role in our wines quality and it’s taste once in the bottle. In fact, we have quite our own little unique terroir on the estate. There are so many variations in our 100 acre vineyard sites. Some places are a little cooler or warmer, some are a higher elevation or different soil or mineral content in the soil…….. How do we choose where to grow what, and what effects are we looking for in the wine when we make these choices?
We’ll have more information on this in the next blogs…in the meantime, what are your thoughts? Is the concept of terroir relevant or unimportant?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What are your thoughts on biodynamics then? Do you feel that it brings out Terroir in the wine, or do you think it’s more of a gimmick, as a recent article in SF Weekly posited? (article link here: http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-11-19/news/voodoo-on-the-vine/)
Ryan,
While biodynamic practices are way too over the top for me, I think it’s possible that some people farming biodynamically do have better products because of the extra care and attention given. However, I would not credit this to the cow’s horns, deer blatter, or horsetail tea particularly. I don’t think many would disagree it’s entirely possible that spending so much time using all natural and organic materials, as well as tending to the vines could result in higher quality fruit, and therefore wine.
I don’t follow horoscopes, study astrology, or read tarot cards but that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t respect some of the seemingly intelligent people who do……..
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