Have you ever tasted a wine that’s one of your “go to” wines only to find that the current vintage doesn’t quite stand up to last year’s?  Perhaps the fruit is not quite as pronounced this time around or the wine just seems a little out of balance.  Or have you noticed that you prefer a varietal from one region but just  can’t quite get a grasp on why you don’t like the same style from another?  There’s sound reasoning behind this and sorting through the process is great way to further educate your palate. The fact is, you’re not just imagining the differences.  For example, there’s a real contrast between that California Merlot and the Italian version and between the Arizona Syrah and the Rhone style, the secret buried within the three major essentials that define a wine’s character: terroir, the vineyard manager and the winemaker or vigneron.  Dig down into each of these and you’ll better understand why such differences exist, not mention enhancing your wine tasting skills.

Terroir is a term that generates LOTS of emotion and debate, even amongst seasoned wine experts.  And it’s no wonder why.  The term is meant to identify a geographic area (everything from a single vineyard to an appellation to a larger region) which shares a similar climate, soil (geology), topography and exposure.  Some say that it defines a sense of place which embodies similar characteristics.  To add complexity, some will broaden the definition terroir to include elements that are influenced by human interactions (enhancing soil nutrients, irrigation, etc.).  Any way you define it, the concept of terroir does play a significant role in the profile of the grape and its wine.  If you think about it, it makes sense that a given vineyard, nurtured by its specific soil composition, its nutrients and moisture content, climate and exposure, will yield grapes that reflect the environment.   In turn, this will be expressed in the grape’s balance of fruit, acids, sugars,  tannins (reds) and sense of minerality.   Let me offer a hypothetical example using the Sauvignon Blanc grape.  

Imagine a vineyard located in a continental climate setting, with very warm to hot summers and long cold winters.  The vineyard is planted on slopes facing the sunnier the south and west, well sheltered from wind.  The soil is of chalk and limestone, yielding grapes that produce a mineral driven squeaky clean, nearly clear wine with zippy acidy and crisp citrus notes of fresh lemon rind.   Now take the same grape, nurture the vine from deep gravely loam or dense alluvial soil, situate it in a more gentle Mediterranean climate where the temperate weather allows the grapes to mature slower and later and the flavor profile of the grape may lean more toward rich fruit nuances of guava, pineapple, and passion fruit along with citrus notes of lemon or lime. In fact, this is what you might find when comparing a New Zealand or Sancerre version with its California cousin.  Of course, in this comparison, we’re assuming that all of the grapes originated from the same vineyard with the same soils.  Reality is, a wine is often made from grapes resourced from several local or regional vineyards, sometimes with a variation in soil constituents.  As you might imagine, this can alter the aromatic and flavor profile of the wine.   The vineyard manager, from off season pruning and clean up to managing the vines throughout the growing season and harvest, works within the framework of the terroir to maintain optimal health for the vines and thus for the grapes.  In essence, the winemaker can accentuate or downplay the expression of terroir.  Maintain a healthy vineyard devoid of disease and supply the needed soil nutrients, water and vine canopy management and pruning when necessary, and the grapes stand the best chance of expressing their full potential.  Selection of harvest time is key to the final balance of fruit, acidity, sugar and tannins (reds).  Weather permitting, the vineyard manager will time the harvest according to the ripeness of the grapes, but the words “weather permitting” is always a wildcard.  Early season frost or freeze, scorching heat, drought (without irrigation), hail, and drenching rains at harvest time, all have the potential to damage grapes.  The harvesting process itself may also play into the profile of the wine depending upon how delicately the grapes are handled and sorted.  A wine made from only the finest and ripest grapes stands a chance to become a king whereas those that included unripe or damaged grapes may suffer in quality.  With added experience, your palate will eventually begin to taste these differences.