Feature | Terroir
Exploring terroir: one vineyard, three winemakers: four vineyards one winemaker.
Terroir has become a buzz word in wine
Almost a holy grail for some winemakers. The concept that the flavour of something grown in a particular place - a few special rows, a block, a vineyard or even a subregion - can express the unique character of that place. Sceptics, of course, often say terroir just a marketing ploy. In the prestigious Cote d’Or in Burgundy, France, they will tell you that wine is the grapes’ way of expressing the soil or terroir. It’s similar in the steep Mosel vineyards in Germany where wines from a certain vineyard can have a consistent character, subtly different from that from a nearby vineyard with a different soil, slope or aspect. It’s certainly something I’ve experienced tasting wine there. To express terroir successfully requires sensitive viticulture and winemaking. Pinot noir
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WineNZ Magazine | Spring 2021
