What the hell is Terroir?

Defining Terroir

If you approach it from a scientific perspective, terroir can be thought of as an interactive biological and physical cycle incorporating multiple environmental elements that are unique to any given location.

Eh?

In layman’s terms, it’s the interaction and interrelationship between the plant variety (in this case the vine), the health and composition of the soil in which it’s planted, the topography, the climate, the biodiversity and the human influences that affect its growth (like canopy management and soil management) that all combine to give the wine a sense of place.

Some producers, especially those who follow organic and biodynamic practices, go one step further, taking a more holistic view and would add that terroir includes their influence in the cellar during the winemaking process itself. Their guiding hand, minimal approach and small batch production approach serve to maximise the expression of terroir in their wines rather than obscuring or diluting it by excessive use of new oak or by cross-site blending for example.

How can you identify terroir in a wine?

With so many variables affecting the make-up of terroir in the first place, this is not an exacting science. However, if we think of terroir as a sensory component it becomes a little easier to detect and describe.

Take, for example, a Chablis. Grown in a cool environment on mostly chalky and limestone soils. It’s hard to believe that Chardonnay can make such a crisp tasting wine. You can sense the cool, fresh air in the acidity (this is the mouth-watering effect), that gives the wine a lean and tight structure. But more than this, you can actually sense a chalkiness in the wine’s texture, and the unmistakable aroma of wet pebbles, as if the soil has somehow permeated throughout the liquid in the glass.

And another example, a southern Rhône red like a Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. Most of the wines in the southern Rhône are based on Grenache, a variety that loves the sun and heat as it ripens late. You can sense the warmth of the Mediterranean climate both in terms of the aroma and taste. The limestone soils in the vineyards accentuate the wine’s dryness as do the earthy tannins that can sometimes taste a little dusty, a bit like the parched soil. But the generosity and ripeness of Grenache and a hearty dish to match will counter this.

Perhaps the most telling sign of terroir in our Côtes-du-Rhône Villages is the effect of garrigue. The term is said to have its roots in nearby Provence and describes the naturally-occurring native scrubland that can be found across the whole of the south of France as well as other Mediterranean forest regions. It includes wild thyme, wild fennel, wild rosemary, wild lavender, pine, juniper and various nut varieties but also includes the actual soil elements like limestone, sea shells and leaf litter. If you’ve ever visited rural south of France, you only have to take in a deep whiff to instantly recognise garrigue, and it often reveals itself in the red wines of the region.

So it's time to look at some of our best ‘terroir wines’

These are some of the wines that we feel best express their terroir are from our smaller, more specialist producers.

Here are a few of our favourites and their links to buy:

Bodegas Altolandon Mil Historias Bobal

Certified organic, this small family estate in the tiny appellation of Manchuela sits on a very high plateau, about an hour and a half’s drive to the west of Valencia. Bobal is a native grape to this region of Spain but was on the decline until relatively recently, but is now making a comeback.

Made as naturally as possible, not only can you taste the purple-skinned berries associated with Bobal but there’s also wild floral and herb notes from the native flora that the estate encourages around their vineyards. In addition, the soils come through by adding an earthy sensory note.

Mora & Memo ‘Tino’ Vermentino di Sardegna

Located high up in the hills close to the south-east coast, this beautiful family property is run sustainably and with low intervention techniques both in the vineyards and in the winery. The wines are punctuated by the limestone soils and the salinity that’s blown from the coast by the ever-present Mistral wind, which emphasises the fine acidity and mineral structure to the wines.

This Vermentino comes from 30-40 year old vines that are worked organically. The wine displays floral and wild herb aromas and has a delicious savoury, textural feel on the palate thanks to a few months ageing on the lees.

Raats Family Wines Original Chenin Blanc (Unwooded)

Bruwer Raats is something of a Chenin master and has earned universal praise for his well-crafted, authentic and expressive Stellenbosch-origin wines. His philosophy is to work with well-established low-yielding vines, both trained and free-standing, that can translate the unique soils on which they’re planted through the finished wine. In this case decomposed granite and Table Mountain sandstone.

The two different soil components bring a zesty mineral character on the one hand and more tropical fruit notes and stature on the other. For a Cape Chenin Blanc at this price point, this has surprising depth of flavour and precision which marks it out as a stonking wine to pair with a variety of ingredients.

Now that you’ve gained an insight into the fascinating world of terroir, you might be less inclined to think of the next person who gets animated over it as a l’ouest!