Terroir? Fun to say, but what does it mean?

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By Tom Hollings
Tom is the owner of innovative online wine store, DifferentDrop.com, which sources and sells unique and small production wines from Australia’s best boutique wineries.

One wine term that is bandied about more than most is the French word ‘terroir’ (pronounced ‘tehr – wahr’).  Sure it’s fun to say, but what does this term actually mean?

Well, put simply, ‘terroir’ refers to the effect of the complete natural environment in which grapes are grown, and how this affects the aroma, flavour and structure of a wine.  It includes factors such as temperature, wind, sunlight and soil, with many going on to include cultural and country influences also.

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There is no direct English translation for terroir, although Clare Valley winemaking legend Jeffrey Grosset suggested that the Aboriginal word ‘pangkarra’ (used by the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains) has a very similar meaning.

And perhaps it comes as little surprise that the English language does not have a natural translation, for the history in English speaking winemaking nations, Australia included, has been to produce more ‘scientific’ wines that are a blend of multiple vineyards, thus evening out any ‘rough edges’ or inconsistencies from year to year.

It is these ‘rough edges’ however that make ‘old world’ wine — wine made from Europe — so great!  With centuries and centuries of grape growing and winemaking experience, the French, Italians, Spaniards, Germans and so on, have a true understanding of exactly which grapes grow well in which regions, and even in which specific vineyards.  A connoisseur of Burgundian chardonnay and pinot noir for example, will know which specific vineyards on which side of a road will yield the better wines, with prices varying dramatically.

To truly understand the terroir of a wine, you must be sure it has come from a single vineyard. I’m often asked whether these single vineyard wines are better than those blended from multiple vineyards.  The truth is that neither is necessarily better than the other.  There are simply too many other variables at play to make a definitive statement on what makes the best wines.

However, I’ll almost always choose to drink a single vineyard wine when the opportunity presents itself and the reason is simple: these wines truly represent where they came from. A wine from a single vineyard tells the story of where those grapes have come from – whether it’s the type of soil, its exposure to sunlight, its protection from wind or a rain-filled vintage.  Wine is unique amongst most alcoholic drinks for this reason, and for me it’s part of the magic!

When you taste a wine from a single vineyard you can know for certain that that wine can never be completely replicated.  Not only will wines from other vineyards taste different but wines from the same vineyard will taste different year to year, sometimes markedly.

It’s not that there aren’t amazing ‘multi vineyard’ wines out there. The majority of wines available to us everyday come from more than just one vineyard, and Australia’s most famous wine, Penfolds Grange, is a great example.  These wines tend to be more consistent and without too many unique characteristics, are often appealing to a broader audience.

Even with that in mind, I love the unpredictability of opening a new bottle of a single vineyard wine and not knowing exactly what I’m about to taste, and the knowledge that no wine ever made before or in the future has or will ever taste the same.

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