Terroir, does it really make a difference?

“To know a place, you have to taste it.”         T.S. Eliot

Ever heard the word ‘Terroir’ used when hanging out with a bunch of wine geeks?

The word is often used to describe the agricultural setting of (in this case), wine.

By definition… Terroir is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant’s genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine, coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, heritage wheat, cannabis, and tea. The concept has also crossed to other Protected Appellations of Origin (PDOs a form of geographical indication), products such as cheeses.
Terroir can be very loosely translated as “a sense of place,” which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product.

Don’t think, however, that the word TERROIR just refers to all things that happen to the grape outside of the winery.

The definition of terroir can be expanded to include elements that are controlled or influenced by humans. This can include the decision of which grape variety to plant, though whether or not that grape variety will produce quality wine is an innate element of terroir that may be beyond human influence. Some grape varieties thrive better in certain areas than in others. The winemaking decision of using wild or ambient yeast in fermentation instead of cultured or laboratory produced yeast can be a reflection of terroir. The use of oak is a controversial element since some will advocate that its use is beneficial in bringing out the natural terroir characteristics while others will argue that its use can mask the influences of the terroir.

In fact, some of my personal favorites, when it comes to wine, are wines that speak directly to the region, as it is grown in its own sense of time and place.   And, truly what I have found is that I am becoming more and more sensitive to the TERROIR of a wine when it comes to the elements controlled by the actual winemaker.

Too much oak on a wine, in my opinion, is like putting make up on a woman.  Here me out…

If one is naturally beautiful, then why apply so much make up that one cannot see through to the natural beauty of the subject.  If you think about it, too much make up is generally used to hide imperfections.  Can this be the same as with wine?  These are generally some of my first thoughts when tasting a wine with too much oak…what is the winemaker trying to hide here?

In the end, TERROIR by all definitions should reflect ALL things in a grape’s vintage – sometimes you have to take the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to winemaking.  If mother nature dealt us a hand of perfect wine growing weather in each region every single year, then we would only drink perfect wines (considering the winemaker was as conscious).  How boring would that be?

Remember, while there are many ‘Good’ wines in the world, ‘Great’ wines are rare.

In my opinion, they are the true expression of a grape’s birthplace and lifespan.  Think about it the next time someone hands you a glass of wine.  Make up, no make up…expression or no expression.  Good?  Or, have you stumbled upon Greatness?

The most beautiful things in life are the most natural.