Vineyard in Tuscany / Photo by rayced
What is Terroir? Loosely stated it is a French concept, the entire phrase is “Gout de Terroir” or literally “taste of earth”, and it implies that when items are well produced they express some unique attributes that represent a “sense of place”.
Does this mean that wines can taste of the minerals contained in the earth? It’s undeniable that Muscadet tastes of the salty, marine and granite soils from which these wines originate. When smelling a Barolo from Monvigliero it’s possible to smell the sandy soil, and the telltale note of black olive that’s so uniquely Monvigliero, or should I say Verduno, the village in which the Monvigliero vineyard is located.
Terroir does not relate exclusively to a taste of the earth, it’s so much more than that. A combination of soil, climate and vine produces many of the identifiable traits in wines, and it is these elements which distinguish the Barolo wines from Monvigliero, from other Nebbiolo grape wines. This to me is Terroir.
Everyone smells/tastes things differently
A glass of wine has hundreds of organic compounds, we can identify only a handful, and everyone has their own unique thresholds of perception, we don’t all smell and taste the same things in wine. Some how the combination of soil, climate and vines is able to produce unique compounds which in turn produce signature traits that are called Terroir.
The Terroir of North Coast Pinot in California may be cola flavored low acid fruit bombs. Not my style of wine, but it may be just what the unique melange of soil, climate and vine produces. Whilst I fully recognize that this may run counter to what the wine mafia want us all to believe, I think the facts speak for themselves. What the wine mafia want you to believe is that Terroir is all about rocks, minerals, and fresh fruit.
Does Terroir exist?
I’m firmly in the camp that says it does, but not everywhere, or at least I’m not able to find it in every wine. I also fall into the camp that feels wines produced in very warm climates, or from grapes that are allowed to get very ripe, tend to exhibit a dreary sameness of fruit that obscures or obliterates Terroir, and let’s not get started on wine making processes!
It’s another thing entirely to narrowly define Terroir to only include wine one likes, which is exactly what the wine mafia has done, and they then go around intimidating and bullying people they don’t agree with.
Drink what YOU like
It’s time to just drink what you like and stop trying to move the immovable object. Let people make their own minds up on this. I certainly advocate having an opinion and sharing those opinions freely but we need to move beyond the certitude with which we espouse our opinions. Wines are such a personal preference and it’s really pointless trying to force people to like a style of wine.
Share information, share opinions, state your case, and then move on. I get it. People who generally drink organic wines from the Loire and Beaujolais are not going to enjoy many big Barossa Shiraz. Conversely those who revel in the pleasure of Cult California Cabernets are just not going to flip over many bottles of Sangiovese, but really, who cares. Let everyone know what choices we have and then let’s all make our own buying decisions without belittling or insulting those who have made different ones.
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How to appreciate a bottle of wine
Vineyard in Tuscany / Photo by rayced
What is Terroir? Loosely stated it is a French concept, the entire phrase is “Gout de Terroir” or literally “taste of earth”, and it implies that when items are well produced they express some unique attributes that represent a “sense of place”.
Does this mean that wines can taste of the minerals contained in the earth? It’s undeniable that Muscadet tastes of the salty, marine and granite soils from which these wines originate. When smelling a Barolo from Monvigliero it’s possible to smell the sandy soil, and the telltale note of black olive that’s so uniquely Monvigliero, or should I say Verduno, the village in which the Monvigliero vineyard is located.
Terroir does not relate exclusively to a taste of the earth, it’s so much more than that. A combination of soil, climate and vine produces many of the identifiable traits in wines, and it is these elements which distinguish the Barolo wines from Monvigliero, from other Nebbiolo grape wines. This to me is Terroir.
Everyone smells/tastes things differently
A glass of wine has hundreds of organic compounds, we can identify only a handful, and everyone has their own unique thresholds of perception, we don’t all smell and taste the same things in wine. Some how the combination of soil, climate and vines is able to produce unique compounds which in turn produce signature traits that are called Terroir.
The Terroir of North Coast Pinot in California may be cola flavored low acid fruit bombs. Not my style of wine, but it may be just what the unique melange of soil, climate and vine produces. Whilst I fully recognize that this may run counter to what the wine mafia want us all to believe, I think the facts speak for themselves. What the wine mafia want you to believe is that Terroir is all about rocks, minerals, and fresh fruit.
Does Terroir exist?
I’m firmly in the camp that says it does, but not everywhere, or at least I’m not able to find it in every wine. I also fall into the camp that feels wines produced in very warm climates, or from grapes that are allowed to get very ripe, tend to exhibit a dreary sameness of fruit that obscures or obliterates Terroir, and let’s not get started on wine making processes!
It’s another thing entirely to narrowly define Terroir to only include wine one likes, which is exactly what the wine mafia has done, and they then go around intimidating and bullying people they don’t agree with.
Drink what YOU like
It’s time to just drink what you like and stop trying to move the immovable object. Let people make their own minds up on this. I certainly advocate having an opinion and sharing those opinions freely but we need to move beyond the certitude with which we espouse our opinions. Wines are such a personal preference and it’s really pointless trying to force people to like a style of wine.
Share information, share opinions, state your case, and then move on. I get it. People who generally drink organic wines from the Loire and Beaujolais are not going to enjoy many big Barossa Shiraz. Conversely those who revel in the pleasure of Cult California Cabernets are just not going to flip over many bottles of Sangiovese, but really, who cares. Let everyone know what choices we have and then let’s all make our own buying decisions without belittling or insulting those who have made different ones.
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