When selling good wine, a consultant, telling you about it, often mentions such a word as “terroir”. What few people know about, but this term is closely related to both the drink and winemaking in general. It is very important and plays a large role in the production of a hop drink. What terroir is in wine, its characteristics and influence will be described in the article.
Value
Terroir is a whole combination of various factors and characteristics, such as terrain, soil features, wind roses, the presence of forest, its massifs, water bodies (lakes, rivers). Also included in this combination is insolation (exposure to the sun's rays of space and surface), flora and fauna around.
Terroir - this is the complex that determines the varietal characteristics of a product. For example, coffee, tea, cheese, olive oil, but most often wine. A terroir product is a product that is made from raw materials grown in a specific area and under strictly controlled conditions. In short, terroir is an environment of origin.
Value in winemaking
This concept first appeared in the field of winemaking. French masters under the term "terroir" understand the totality of the characteristics and conditions of one plot on which grapes are grown. According to the old tradition, they use such a name as “appellation d , origine”, which in French means “appellation of origin”.
In a limited sense, this term refers only to the very soil on which the vine grew. However, do not forget that the terroir is precisely the combination of all the factors described above.
Winemakers for a reason attach such great importance to the terroir, because it very much affects the color, saturation, aroma, and, most importantly, the taste of wine. So, for example, a vine growing on a slope in siliceous soil will produce a crop whose bouquet will have a slight shade of silicon.
Varieties
Continuing to consider what terroir is, it is necessary to pay attention to grapes, from which manufacturers create unique drinks. As well as the soil on which it grows. Since ancient times, winemakers have noticed that the same terroir cannot be suitable for all grape varieties.
Suppose, if you plant a Chardonnay variety on the land where Sauvignon is grown, then the likelihood that a new crop will bring the necessary fruits or their quality will be extremely low.
Naturally, this knowledge was obtained through trial and error for more than 6 thousand years. In the end, experts realized that this terroir affects the favorable taste of the drink. After some time, experts began to recognize and identify areas that are most suitable for a particular grape variety. It was from this that the formation of the concept of terroir began, and then it became the basis for the classification of European wines.
The soil
Absolutely in any vineyards, the starting point and the very basis of the beverage production process is the soil. Paradoxical as it may sound, the vine gives the best result on meager, depleted and infertile lands.
Soil for planting is divided into several types. Separation depends on the ratio of clay, sand, chernozem in the soil, and also sediment is taken into account. Quite often, in one vineyard you can find several varieties of soil.
Varieties
In viticulture, soils are divided into the following types:
- Clay (they are also called heavy). Their main difference is extremely high viscosity and density. They retain moisture very well, which allows the grapes to grow, giving a tart, bright, tannic taste of the drink.
- Sandy or light soils, the main feature of which is the predominance of sand. Such soils have increased moisture and air permeability, but at the same time poorly retain water. They can warm up quite well, but also quickly cool down. Grapes ripen on them, from which a light, delicate wine is obtained.
- Alluvial - these are soils that contain clay, gravel, sand and shale rocks. They are most often located at river mouths and near lakes. On such soils, the vine gives the berry, from which fruit, aromatic wines are obtained.
Other species
In addition to common types of soil, there are areas with their own soil characteristics. These types include:
- Limestone soils, which are rich in calcium, retain water very well. Due to the trace elements found in such a soil, wines are obtained with a complex bouquet and a bright, sour taste.
- Volcanic soils are divided into 2 types: with a predominance of basalt in them and with an increased concentration of tuff. Grapes grown on such a soil give the drink a smoky, “volcanic” bouquet.
- Stony soil - on this type of vine ripens early enough. The grape root system in such a land goes deep in search of water. In fact, the vine suffers due to difficult growth conditions, but later on its berries give complex, complex drinks.
The terroir is so important that it is necessary to select one or another grape variety for each type of soil. Otherwise, the taste of the wine will be unsaturated or even spoiled.
Terroirs of Russia
In our country, the Kuban and Crimea have long been considered the best terroirs. In these places, a very favorable climate for growing grapes, a variety of soil types, moderate insolation, as well as a variety of flora and fauna.
As for the Kuban, the best terroir of these places is Abrau-Durso. No wonder Prince L. S. Golitsyn, a great connoisseur of wine, opened a sparkling wine factory here in 1870. He already noted the uniqueness of these places, while taking into account all the components of the Kuban terroir.
It is worth noting that many French wine specialists emphasize the very favorable position of the Kuban. At the same time, clarifying that according to some indicators and properties the local terroir outperforms the majority of the French.
Crimea and terroir of wine
In Crimea, winemaking originated in the days of Ancient Greece, when immigrants settled on the peninsula (in Chersonesos). Subsequently, other peoples living in these places took over their experience.
Terroirs of Crimea are diverse and unique. The combinations of soils, terrain, insolation and precipitation here are so different that they amaze all winemakers. The wind rose on the Crimean peninsula also contributes to the taste of the drink. The air, saturated with winds from the sea and mountains, comes to the vine, creating a unique wine terroir.
Today, a new method of growing plants taken from various places is widely used. So, for example, a vine grown in Bordeaux is transplanted into the terroir of the Kuban or Crimea. This is done in order to get a new, unusual, complex taste of terroir. This practice has recently begun to be used in our country, but is already bearing fruit. Such experiments made it possible to obtain French and Crimean winemakers varieties of wines, the taste and bouquet of which sparkled with new colors.
In addition, the drink acquires perfection and a comprehensive, rich, unique taste. Some specimens created in Crimea even surpassed their predecessors in France. This was a real pleasant shock for French and Russian winemakers. After all, it would seem, how can you improve a beautiful and distinctive French wine? It turns out yes. And one of the main roles in this was played by the Russian terroir. The noble French vine gave a local berry, from which it was possible to create a real wine masterpiece.
Today, this wine has become very popular with most drink connoisseurs, which pushes the creators to new experiments with the vine and various terroirs.
This example shows that specialists in this field continue to research and search not only for the ancient traditions of their predecessors, but they themselves create unique technologies for growing vines and making new varieties of wine.