Terroir: What’s It All About?
I found this picture on a wine blog that I visit and had to post it as this is a fabulous example of what the French refer to as “terroir” which is the hard to translate, somewhat nebulous term used to describe all the physical elements that come together in creating a wine. Think of it as a “sense of place” that is unique unto itself and will impact the final product.
Terroir includes climate, soil, drainage, sunlight, macro-climates and topography. Is the soil sandy, pebbly, chalky or clay-like? What is the quality of drainage based on the type of soil and the angle of incline the vines are planted at? How much daily sun hits the vines directly? What role does wind, temperature and bodies of water play? I think that you could ask any number of people to define this difficult term and you would get any number of different answers. Some experts believe it really does impact the final product while others are a bit more skeptical.
The vines in the picture are in Côte Rôtie in the Rhône Valley located in south western France. The area is tiny but mighty in its production of full bodied red wines. The climate is hot and sunny, more constant than in other regions of France. The soil, as you can see is stony and made of granite. Grapes that you might have heard of grown in this region are Grenache and Syrah (both reds) and a Viognier which is a wonderful white that I am able to find more and more in my neck of the woods.
Last summer, I went through the first phase of becoming a sommelier and had to study all this crazy stuff in order to move on to level two. I loved all of it and it continues to fascinate me. I wouldn’t call myself a wine snob but since we had to taste numerous types of whites, reds and champagnes, you can, indeed, identify not only countries that a wine might come from, but for those who are experts, pinpoint the region and in very rare instances the exact vineyard. I haven’t had time to sign up for the next phase that would actually bestow upon me the title of “sommelier” but it is something that I want to continue to pursue. Honestly, the class tastings alone are worth the effort. And I hate spitting all that good product so I don’t. It might be hard to pass the final exam with that much alcohol in me however. As the French say, “C’est la vie!”.
Additional information: La Route du Vin
Photo credit: La Route du Vin, flickr, behind.camera
Tags: , b5media, Côte Rôtie, france, Grenache, La Route du Vin, paris, Rhône, Syrah, terroir, the paris traveler, travel, travel blogs, viognier
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