Terroir

Terroir; the French word for soil, has caused more arguments than any other word in the wine world. This is a word with many definitions but it can be best described as the Mesoclimate of a vineyard. The French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system for classifying quality wines is based on hundreds of years of exploring terroir and most wine experts agree that it exists. Terroir is the combination of natural and sometimes man made influences that give a wine its particular characteristics. These are usually evident in acidity and tannin, but sometimes other unique characteristics can develop in flavours and textures.

In the vineyard there are many factors that affect the Mesoclimate; slope, elevation, and aspect, depth of soil layers and even roads and drainage channels. These features are not unique to vineyards. I grew up on a small farm and anyone who has worked the same piece of land for a few seasons begins to see evidence of terroir through the growth of foliage, fruit production and fruit quality of particular areas.

Most New World wine producing countries are guilty of producing mass produced wines with no terroir distinction at all. This accusation is justified when you look at the flood of these mass produced branded wines that are available on the market from countries like Chile, USA, and Australia. When people think wine brands they automatically think Australia. Jacobs Creek, Wolfblass, and Hardy’s produce a huge range of wines made from grapes grown all over Australia. The grapes that make these wines are transported large distances and blended to a recipe to taste the same every year and have no terroir. But maybe the term ‘Mass Terroir’ could be used to describe the flavour and character of mass produced wines, made from grapes grown over a large set area. Two mass produced Chardonnays from two different countries have different qualities; this could be classes as ‘Mass Terroir’. Somehow I don’t think that this term will catch on!

Mass produced wines exist due to the extremely lucrative bottom end of the wine market. The reason that there is a niche in the market is because most wines made in locations with recognized terroir cannot produce good quality wines at that price point. But these mass produced wines have given the well needed revenue for new world viticulturists to experiment with varying Terroir in their own wine growing regions. Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Shiraz, Napa Valley Pinot Noir and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc are just a few to gain international recognition.

New Terroirs are discovered every year and with new technology in soil mapping and vineyard planning, old established terroirs are being re-examined.Allowing new world countries true recognition for wines made to express terroir distinction will be of benefit to the wine industry and establish new niche markets. In the long run it will hopefully be more profitable for winemakers to produce terroir wines, but there will always still be a market for a good mass produced wine for about £5. The existence Terroir will always be a disputed issue because just like me, everyone has a different opinion as to what Terroir is.