Wine 101 Wednesday—Location, Location… Terroir

Ask any realtor about the most important factor in selling a home. Standard answer: “Location, location, location.”

As you might expect, it’s no different when the real estate has grapevines growing on it. The French coined a word for it: terroir (tehr-WAHR). It derives from their word "terre," and before that from the Latin "terra," both of which mean “earth” or “land.” (BTW, the word “terrier,” as in dog, also comes from this root word, since they’re bred for unearthing pesky hide-in-the-dirt rodents.)

In the wine world, the expression "gout de terroir" (taste of the earth/soil) means that the wine’s character strongly reflects its place of origin. (It can also refer to actual earthy or minerally flavors in the glass.)

Vineyard location ranks at (or at the very least near) the top of the list of factors that determine a finished wine’s level of excellence. And just as with any other plant (my shade-loving fuchsia would roast in your hot front yard; your lush red roses would stetch their straggly, blossomless arms toward the nonexistent sun on my back patio), different varieties of wine grape need different growing conditions. One wine varietal’s ideal location may not suit another varietal’s needs at all.

Cabernet, for example, loves the hot sun. (Zin does too, BTW. See happy vine in foto.) Pinot Noir doesn’t. Pinot made from hot-climate grapes, in fact, loses its elegance and finesse, and starts to taste “cooked.” (The biochemistry of the flavor compounds in the grapes actually changes to create these pruney, raisiny flavors, plus the heat cooks out some of the grapes’ acidity for a nasty double whammy.)

Let’s go to France to compare different climates and the grapes that love them. The great Cabernet-based Bordeaux wines come from the warm Medoc in the southwest. The cooler, more northerly Burgundy region where Pinot thrives lies just south of Champagne and at the same latitude as nearby Switzerland. (Unfortunately, we now have global warming to confuse the issue—and it’s indeed wreaking havoc with much of Europe—but let’s keep that out of the mix for now.)

All of this translates to California and other New World winegrowing areas as well. When we looked at the Pinot Noirs from Marin County yesterday, their cool-climate vineyard origin provided the link that tied them all together.

Next Wednesday, we’ll pick up where we left off today, and we'll look at the many factors that comprise terroir. We’ll also zero in on how terroir makes a difference in the glass. And I’ll give you a preview of an upcoming podcast (or two!) on a unique, terroir-based wine judging called the Grand Harvest Awards. www.vwm-online.com

Tomorrow, in our first Thirsty Thursday, we taste Pinot. Mmmmmm. Join me. And bring a wineglass!

I welcome your questions about the world of wine—let me know what’s on your mind and I’ll get some answers for you. In fact, I like this idea so much that I’ll set aside the First Wednesday of each month to talk about topics that you suggest.

Cheers for now,
Rosina
gilded fork, wine, wine writing, Welcome to Wine Country, Rosina Tinari Wilson