FFWD REW

The taste of dirt

Exploring the wonders and myths of terroir

Terroir is a French term with no direct English translation. In wine circles it has taken on somewhat of a mystic aura — people carelessly toss it about in an effort to describe the more esoteric sensations in wine. Simply put terroir means place but its connotations go far behind this simple definition. Terroir refers to all aspects of a place that affect the growing cycle of the vine: the soil angle of the Earth aspect to the sun wind weather microbial influences animals and even insects. Although we like to speak of terroir when referring to old-world wines especially those with a storied past and reputation for quality terroir exists anywhere grapes are grown for better or for worse.

There are those who believe terroir is all that matters in wine even more important than the grape. There are also those who question the existence of terroir at all. For me it is not a question of whether terroir really exists but exactly how it translates into the taste of wine.

To argue that terroir does not exist is to say that grapes are not significantly influenced by their surroundings altering the flavour of the wine. But we can see many examples throughout the wine world that substantiate the effects of terroir. The Burgundy region in France is often cited as one of the great examples of terroir because only Pinot Noir is used for reds and Chardonnay for whites. When we take away the different varietals we can more clearly discern the effects of the land. Tasting two wines that were raised the same way and treated identically in the winery can show markedly different characters the only difference being the land on which they were grown. But what is it in this land that so drastically influences the flavour of the finished wines? Is it the Earth we are tasting?

One of the great theories of terroir is that as vines age they reach further down into the earth extracting various minerals and flavours that end up in the wine. As romantic as this notion is science tells us otherwise.

Soil is probably the most important element in growing grapes and does influence taste but not the way you might think. Soil’s great contributing factor is how it moderates the vine’s access to water. The best soils limit the vine’s access giving it only what it needs forcing the vine to focus its energy toward making ripe fruit rather than spreading a bigger leaf canopy. So the better the capability of the soil to retain moderate amounts of water and slowly nourish the vine the better the resulting wine will be.

Soil health is another key. Soils teeming with microbial life better nourish the vine and make it less susceptible to disease but whether it affects the flavour of the wine is still up in the air.

The most acute examples of terroir come to us from the old world; places like Burgundy Alsace Tuscany Piedmonte and the Rhone Valley. We tend to recognize terroir more in old-world wines because we are more familiar with its classic characters.

Barolo is one of the great examples. It is a haven for the delicate Nebbiolo grape which produces wines that age gracefully for decades. Capable of such great heights in Piedmonte when Nebbiolo is removed from this specific climate it rarely produces anything of interest.

Terroir does exist in places like California and Australia but it is a delicate thing easily muted by very ripe grapes and the use of new oak barrels — both of which are more common in the new world. Anywhere winemaking is more evident the sense of terroir tends to be diminished. This is true no matter where the wine is made.

One of the great appeals of wine is that it above any other beverage or food we consume can exhibit a sense of place. But wines that truly show their land are slowly losing ground to those that simply taste of ripe fruit. The land should be a special place to grow vines a place to nurture understand and protect the grapes while allowing the producer to create interesting and compelling wines — not to simply ripen fruit. The difference between wine with no sense of place and that which exemplifies its origin is not just important to wine; it is essential to its very survival. As soon as wine becomes just another grape beverage we lose what made it so great in the first place — individuality.

Here are three of my favourite examples of terroir:

• 2005 Marchesi Gondi Chianti Pian dei Sorbi Riserva Italy ($23.95) — Sangiovese from the hills of Chianti is like no other. This wine possesses classic aromas of dark cherry and earthy spice with great structure. It’s a wine that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere.

• 2007 Pierre Luneau Papin Muscadet Loire Valley France ($18.95) — Lean fresh crisp and mineral-laden Muscadet shows you don’t have to be complex to show terroir. This is perfect summer wine and distinctly Muscadet.

• 2006 Perrin Vacqueyras Rhone valley France ($23.95) — Where else do you get this wonderful combination of ripe raspberry fruit and a complex nose of scorched earth and herbs. You can almost taste the warm generous southern Rhone sunshine.

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