The Ride Inside

First, I would like to apologize for not posting anything for a little more than a week.  I was in  Calabria (the deep south of Italy) and there was no internet connection available.  I thank everyone that has visited the site in my absence.  You guys are the driving factor behind my writing and are the reason why I keep writing, so thank you!

Today I will not answer a question, but perhaps change it up a little and talk about something that I saw while I was in Calabria.  Your probably asking yourself, “Why is there a picture of rocks and sand  on a wine website?”  Understanding this picture is actually fundamental in learning one of the most important aspects of wine, “terroir.”  Pronounced ter-wahr, this can be translated into “sense of place.”  A wine expresses terrior when it picks up characteristics from its vineyard site due to the soil composition and climatic exposure.  Not all wines can express terrior, there must be a delicate balance between all factors of wine production.  Generally only the best, and I don’t mean most expensive, can exhibit this awesome characteristic. ( There is no relation between the price and quality of wine.)

OK, so back to the photo. This is a picture of the shorline at one of the beaches in Calabria.  As you may have noticed, there is a clear distinction from the finer sand particles and the larger rocks.  Im sure many have you seen this at other beaches.  The point here is that sand was not always sand, the sand once existed as larger racks that were  ground down from the constant battering from the ocean’s waves.  Over millions and millions of years, larger rocks like the one seen in the picture were transformed by water into the sand like particles that all of us love to lay our towels on in the summer.  (For another example of this geographic anomoly and the sheer power of water take a look at the Grand Canyon. ) The larger stones in this picture are right at the edge of the waters grasp and this is the reason why they do not look like sand yet.  If you came back in 1000 years  probably nothing visible has changed.  This is how long it takes.

Now let’s relate this to wine.  When you start reading more about wine you will see that the soil is a very important part in producing great wine.  You often will  hear of soils being formed by retreating oceans.  Well, what I just explained is how these soils are formed.  Oceans once covered almost all of the Earth, and in retreat, the constant battering of the shorline by waves and tides have reduced mountains, boulders and rocks into some prime real estate for wine growing.  Its truly amazing that when you think about it, this can actually happen.  The types of soils formed depend on the landscape that existed before the retreat of the oceans.  Some are very sandy like those in the Muscadet producing region of the Nantais in France (very close to the Atlantic Ocean) or the Kimmeridgean soils of Chablis which contain large quantities of marine fossils, perfect for producing crisp Chardonnay.  Basically what I’m saying is that different soils are suited for different varieties of grapes and different styles of wine.  Sandy soils because of there lightness and excellent drainage, produce more delicate lighter bodied wines.  Soil rich in clay  produce heavier bodied richer wines and a mix of these soils produces something in between.  I have only named 3 types of soils here but there are dozens that exist.

Next time you pick up a bottle of wine, read the label and see were it hails.  Try to get one from Europe because the soils seem to be more defined and specific from anywhere else in the world, especially France.  Find out which soils exist at the particular site and remember what that wine tastes like, take notes if you have to.  Doing this  will greatly add to your wine education and your drinking pleasure!