Let’s Talk Terroir
Not those little dogs. Those are called Terriers…
And I’m not talking about a scary move. That would be terror…
This is more of a wine and dirt conversation.
Did I really say “dirt”..?
Terroir (roughly pronounced “ter-WAH”)
If you tend to drink the occasional glass or four of wine, at some point you have run across this word. It may have even made you cross-eyed or induced a headache.
Terroir is one of those words that doesn’t have an exact translation, but I can get you pretty close to the meaning. It would almost be like going up to a grapevine and telling it “wherever you are, there it is”.
Or how ‘bout this one – you know the famous real estate saying “location, location, location”? It just so happens that this phrase applies to wine as well. All the environmental factors of a particular location, even down to sections of single vineyards, can impart certain nuances to a wine. Are the vines growing in rocky soil? Are they on a hillside? What is the microclimate at this location? How is the drainage?
All this and more is a part of terroir. And it all affects the final product, what you taste in the wine. It’s sense of place.
Have you noticed how a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley has different characteristics than one from Chili or France (Bordeaux)? This is a very broad angle view, but certainly a basic example of how terroir works.
Now that you have been terroir-ized, open a bottle and enjoy…
And I’m not talking about a scary move. That would be terror…
This is more of a wine and dirt conversation.
Did I really say “dirt”..?
Terroir (roughly pronounced “ter-WAH”)
If you tend to drink the occasional glass or four of wine, at some point you have run across this word. It may have even made you cross-eyed or induced a headache.
Terroir is one of those words that doesn’t have an exact translation, but I can get you pretty close to the meaning. It would almost be like going up to a grapevine and telling it “wherever you are, there it is”.
Or how ‘bout this one – you know the famous real estate saying “location, location, location”? It just so happens that this phrase applies to wine as well. All the environmental factors of a particular location, even down to sections of single vineyards, can impart certain nuances to a wine. Are the vines growing in rocky soil? Are they on a hillside? What is the microclimate at this location? How is the drainage?
All this and more is a part of terroir. And it all affects the final product, what you taste in the wine. It’s sense of place.
Have you noticed how a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley has different characteristics than one from Chili or France (Bordeaux)? This is a very broad angle view, but certainly a basic example of how terroir works.
Now that you have been terroir-ized, open a bottle and enjoy…