The Fundamentals of Wine Character

There are four fundamental factors that give wine with its characteristics: grape variety, soil, weather and winemaking technique.

• 1. The Soil
• 2. Grape Variety
• 3. Weather
• 4. Winemaking Technique

1. The Soil

The rich, low-lying valley floors and river deltas where so many crops thrive are not usually the best locations for growing wine grapes. The grapevine seems to prefer gravel to earth, and grows well in rocky hillsides where no other crops will. It does its best when forced to dig deep for its water, sometimes as much as 3m down.

The French wine producers believe strongly in the importance of the geographical region of origin. Soil, they believe, is an essential part of terroir, and helps to give wine its distinctive character. Each of the major wine regions of France has unique soil characteristics. For example, the Graves subregion of Bordeaux gets its name from the gravelly soil deposited along the Garonne River by the most recent glacial advance. The red wines of the Graves are among the most powerfully flavoured reds of Bordeaux, and the acidic, crisp whites are among the finest white wines in the world.

'Terroir' a key word in the wine world cannot be translated directly into English. Generally speaking, terroir means the total natural environment a grape is grown in, which comes down to three key factors: the soil, the macroclimate and the microclimate.

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2. Grape Variety

There are many types of grapes within the species Vitis vinifera, all with their unique identifying characteristics. The term 'varietally correct' is used to describe wines whose qualities are consistent with their predominant grape variety. For example:

Cabernet Sauvignon

• Colour: deep purple or red
• Flavour: moderate acidity balanced by fruit flavours, firm tannin, long progression of flavours on the palate.
• Aroma: blackcurrants, chocolate, green pepper, mint; jammy fruit when young, cedar and tobacco with age.

Sauvignon Blanc

• Colour: pale gold, sometimes greenish.
• Flavour: crisp, prominent acidity, herbaceous and fruity flavours.
• Aroma: in cooler climates cut grass, nettles, gooseberries and asparagus; in warmer climates wines will often display tropical fruit, particularly passion fruit.

However, this is not to say that all Sauvignon Blancs or Cabernet Sauvignons smell or taste the same. The fact that there are so many different styles available indicates the importance of the other three factors. Grape varieties have inherent characteristics that can be altered or reinterpreted by the soil, the weather and the winemaker's technique.

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3. Weather

Soil is the most constant factor in wine-making; the mineral composition of a vineyard barely changes in a hundred years. The weather in a given growing season, though somewhat predictable (based on historical trends), is the reason that we have good years and bad years for wine.

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