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Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or completely new to the world of wines, you might be confused about the word ‘terroir’.
Terroir is a French word meaning a sense of place, taking into account things like the region, soil and climate of an area. A particular combination of natural factors, like soil, climate and vine affect the taste of the wine.
Together, they give a wine its terroir – its unique identity.
Because the unique combinations are different, the terroir for every wine making region is different and it can even differ between neighbouring vineyards.
Historically, terroir was the basis of the French wine appellation (AOC) system which means, for example, that only sparking wine produced in the Champagne region of France can be called Champagne. The AOC system presumes that the land from which the grapes are grown gives the wine a unique quality.
The influence of terroir means wines from a particular region are unique and cannot be reproduced elsewhere – even if the same grapes are used and the winemaking techniques followed precisely.
So winemakers in Burgundy in France don’t believe they are making a Pinot Noir in Burgundy, they are making their own unique Burgundy wines, which happens to use Pinot Noir grapes.
While vintages change from year to year, depending on the particular weather factors that year, the terroir of a wine should stay the same.
The main factors which influence terroir are:
Wine regions can be roughly divided into warm climate (eg southern Europe, Australia and California) and cool climate (northern Europe and the UK). Cooler climate grapes lead to wines with lower sugar levels and more acidity, while grapes from warmer climates have higher sugar levels, leading to higher alcohol levels.
Other climate factors play a part in terroir, like rainfall, humidity, wind and sunlight. Sunlight is necessary for grapes to produce sugar, but it is possible to have too much. Rain is vital for vine growth, but too much can dilute flavours and cause disease.
(Temperature may fluctuate of course and you may have an exceptionally warm, cool or wet growing season which may affect individual vintages, but the climate is based on the average temperature and climate over a long period of time.)
There are hundreds or even thousands of types of soil, mineral and rock deposits in vineyards around the world, which all have an impact on the unique flavour of the wine from a particular region.
The soil is responsible for the nutrients the grapes need to grow, and the type of soil grapes are grown in can have a significant effect on the flavour of the wine.
It is not only the nutrients in the soil which can affect the terroir, but also the consistency of the soil – eg whether it contains clay, pebbles or sand. These all affect the drainage of the soil and its ability to absorb or reflect the heat of the sun, which all have an effect on the grapes.
Altitude plays a part in the terroir of wine, as do geological features, like mountains and valleys, other nearby plants and trees and the proximity of a vineyard to the sea, large rivers or lakes.
Steeper slopes drain well and may get more sunlight. Higher altitudes tend to mean cooler nights. Mountains can offer protection against the winds, while lakes help to keep an area cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Does wine always have terroir? Not all wines have this sense of place. This is especially true for blended wines, which use grapes from different regions. Mass-produced wines, such as those sold in the supermarket, rarely have terroir. They are made to be enjoyed by a lot of people at a fairly low price. The grapes are grown to high yields and low costs – not using premium grapes from a single vineyard or region.
Terroir isn’t a hard and fast rule. Changes over time affect the grapes and the wine. Climate change means there is a major shift in terroir – not just from higher temperatures increasing the sugar content of the grapes, but from an increase in floods and drought, which make growing grapes far more challenging.
So while terroir gives a wine its unique sense of place, it will change and develop in the coming years and decades.