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Wine evaluation | The influence of terroir on winemaking
By Charl Theron
It is believed that “wines are made in the vineyard” implying that the grapes are the decisive factor in wine style and quality. The French wine tradition has two very interesting concepts supporting this philosophy, namely vigneron and terroir.
Vigneron = Literally translated means winegrower, which combines the
roles of the grape producer and winemaker
Terroir = is the
environment influencing the vines and the quality and composition of
the grapes for winemaking. Topography, climate, geology and
soil are the key factors determining the terroir, which can in layman’s
terms be seen as the site of the vine. The different key factors can
obviously be described in more detail like altitude, slope, aspect,
temperature, rainfall, sunlight, wind and soil characteristics.
Different combinations of these natural features of land interact to create unique growth conditions for vines, which lead to specific wine tasting characteristics.
The following are international examples of the role of terroir:• German Rieslings produced from vines grown on the slopes next to the rivers. • New Zealand Sauvignon blanc wines from Marlborough. • Argentine Malbecs from vineyards near the Andes Mountains. • Italian Barolo from the hillsides of Piedmonte in North West Italy. • Port from the humid, hot Douro region in Portugal. • Sherry from the chalky soils in South Spain.  Locally the Cape has a wide variety of terroir. It is the smallest, but richest plant paradise in the world with more than 9600 species. The establishing of wine routes in the different local regions also exemplifies the potential of terroir in our wine industry. Sauvignon blanc is the varietal which expresses terroir the best. This is mainly due to the fact that the flavour profile of Sauvignon blanc wines is the result of the flavours originating in the grapes. A good winemaker will nurse wines to retain these flavours while a poor winemaker will lose the flavours which cannot be compensated by corrective winemaking practices. Typical Sauvignon blanc flavours can be of so-called green or herbaceous nature like asparagus, green pepper, tomato leaf or tropical like passion fruit, pawpaw or even mineral like or flinty. It is really worth experiencing the differences when you taste for instance the Alexanderfontein Sauvignon blanc from the West Coast, Cape Point Sauvignon blanc and others like De Grendel (Tygerberg), Neil Ellis (Groenekloof,Darling) Iona (Elgin), Springfield (Robertson) and Strandveld (Elim) originating from different wine regions . It is however important to assure that the grapes originate from the specific origin by looking at the Wine of Origin indication on the label. Also remember that the site of the vineyard and not the cellar is the origin indicated on the label. The grapes of a Western Cape Sauvignon blanc can for example come from different regions within the Western Cape and will not express specific origin characteristics. Enjoy your Sauvignon blanc journey!Wine hint of the month: 2009 Almenkerk Sauvignon blanc (Wine of Origin Elgin) A typical full-bodied Sauvignon with herbaceous, tropical and mineral characteristics.
Click here if you would like to learn more about the Stellenbosch University Wine Evaluation Course Back to SmartyPants Newsletter - January 2010 Edition
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Comments
#1 Louise 2010-01-25 19:46
Louise
#2 Sam 2010-01-26 12:00
This is a great question. I asked Charl Theron, the Convener for our Stellenbosch University Wine Evaluation Course, the same question at one of our tasting sessions we run with students.
My recollection of his answer is as follows:
There are certain grapes that hold their flavour very well from the grape all the way through to the bottle of wine you drink. Sauvignon Blanc is one of these grapes, with the resulting flavours being predominantly tropical, green or a combination of the two flavours.
Having said this, the Winemaker has a lot of control over the resulting flavours. I don't know how this happens but I do understand that they can, through the wine making process, pronounce the green or tropical flavours. Sometimes the Winemaker will blend Sauvignon Blanc grapes harvested from on top of a hill and a separate block from further down a valley to get a spread of flavours, which then result in a wine that has both tropical and green flavours.
To summarise, it is not uncommon to taste the Sauvignon Blanc grape in the vineyard and experience the same flavours in the wine that is made from these grapes.
I believe adding wood to the wine will mask these flavours, so fortunately we don't find many wooded Sauvignon Blancs in South Africa.
Do you have a favourite Sauvignon Blanc?
#3 Karin 2010-01-27 07:31
#4 Louise 2010-01-27 09:08
stay well
#5 Louise 2010-01-27 09:22
#6 WineBum 2010-01-28 14:31
I will be a little more technical in my answer. Yes, you can taste some of the flavour, which are aromatic in the vineyard, but there is also a lot of compounds within the Sauvignon blanc grape which you won't be able to taste or smell in the grape. Here the winemaker has an important task in selection the right yeast and to create the right fermentation conditions for the yeast so that these compounds can be converted into molecules which can by detected with smell and taste. Thus, like Charl pointed out in his article, a good Sauvignon blanc has as much to do with good winemaking as it has to do with good terroir!
#7 WineBum 2010-01-28 14:33
See my post to Louis. You are wrong in your assesment. Lots of flavour can be created in the winemaking process by understanding your yeast and therefor choosing the right yeast. I have to add though, the yeast can only use what was in the grape and cannot produce more than the grape has given it!