Terroir – the calling card of the vineyard
’Terroir‘ is a multi-faceted term that has triggered fervent debates over and over during the past several years. In the positive sense, terroir is referred to especially in connection with wine growers and their focusing on a grape variety and what gives it such unique characteristics; it also is used in reference to wines that are the opposite of main-stream wines with a ‘liked-by-everybody’ image. If there is a negative sense, it is in reference to certain minor flaws of a wine (such as bad positioning of vines or certain qualities of soil that may not harmonise with a particular grape variety).
Terroir is a concept that is perceived with the senses, but difficult to define scientifically; it is a concept that unifies soil, climate and the wine-growers themselves. And it comes to life when the wine “speaks” of its origin. As a reminder, origin in Austria – which is commensurate with Roman tradition - is far older than measuring the sugar content in the wine must (commensurate with Germanic tradition). No wonder that Austrian emperors selected not only ‘Austrian’ wines, but more specifically, from a wide range of wines typical of their region of origin. The Austro-Hungarian empire, after all, was once the third-largest wine producing country in the world. The present day Austrian wine industry still reflects vast diversity, albeit on a much smaller scale, of course; and the importance of origin is undergoing a major renaissance, especially with the dac concept.
Changes in taste and technology have resulted in the fact that, in the international market, wines often are no longer easily recognised and associated with a certain region. Wine-growers must, therefore, be highly diversified in their skills, operating as botanists, geologists, biochemists, pr specialists and representatives of their area´s ecological system.
What then includes terroir?
To put it briefly, it is a synthesis of various factors; such as vineyard site (sea level, inclination, morphological position), climate (from the macroclimate and mesoclimate of the individual region to the microclimate of vineyard sites and even the grapevines) and soil (physical, chemical and biological components). Added to these are varietal selection (single varietals, Gemischter Satz, autochthonal grapes, international grapes ...), vineyard management (elevation, density of planting, number of vines, age, yield ...), cellar management and maturing of the wines.
What factors may impair or devalue terroir?
A classic ’identity thief‘ – one that is responsible for uniform wines - is chaptalization (the adding of – too much – sugar to unfermented wine); and, a new method introduced in recent years, namely the concentration of must through dehydration. Another is technical methods of wine production (such as aromatised yeast and aromatised enzymes) that may disguise the wine's origins. And, heavy use of fertilisers or over-irrigation of vineyards may have negative effects as well. However, technology and tradition need not contradict or even exclude each other; similar to many other fields, a well-planned and measured use of these methods according to needs and requirements are essential.
The terroir motto could also be applied to “flying winemakers”, who disseminate to wine producing countries their international experience and knowledge acquired from wine universities. More importantly, the objective ought to be to make terroir the main aspect of production. This necessitates, amongst other things, an increase in the knowledge of the basics, such as the lithological and geological location of the vineyards, or the characteristics of the vineyard sites. That is, wine should be cultivated where it thrives and prospers – even if these vineyards are particularly difficult to work on. It should be noted that the additional manual work also protects the environment. If all of this applies, then numerous possibilities for recognising wines by their origin, their vintage and their wine-growers – native wines in their truest sense – open up. Clearly, terroir needs to be of a high basic quality that adds to the wine's identity and uniqueness - and makes it recognisable as well as distinguishable.
Much theory indeed. But what are the conditions for Austrian terroir wines?
Let us start with the geographical and geological prerequisites. In the Wachau, a unique fauna and flora has been preserved on the steep slopes with their age-old stone terraces. In fact, Steinfeder (a variety of grass) and Smaragdeidechse (a green lizard), have become symbols of Wachau wines. In Kamptal, the Heiligenstein must be mentioned; this slope, with vineyards on its sunny side, is partly comprised of crystallite soil of the Bohemian Massif, and partly of Palaeozoic sandstone, shale and calc. The landscape in the Kremstal is completely different, with its deep loess soils - which are found also in the Wagram, a pronounced plateau in the rolling hills of the Weinviertel. What comes as a surprise in the Burgenland is the frequent interchange between the calc vineyard sites on the steep Leithagebirge, those around the small, shallow salt water lakes (Lacken) and those in the sands of the Seewinkel - and finally, the exposed vineyard site of Eisenberg in Südburgenland, which is rich in iron – “Eisen” - as its name indicates. Impressive also are the vineyard sites in Steiermark (Styria) such as the basalt-rich ones near Klöch, and the steep ones in the Steiermark.
Concerning the climate, there are contrasts between the northeast and southeast of the country. While the northeast is mainly dry and Pannonian-oriented – hot as well as semi-humid - the southeast is rather warm and humid generally. Significant differences in temperatures between night and day result in pronounced aromas in the grapes. Sunny and warm autumns extend the vegetation period of the vines, so that the grapes will have produced enough sugar by maturity, whereas the fruit acids and tannins may develop harmoniously – called ’physiological maturity‘ in its ideal state.
A third terroir factor to be stressed, amongst many, is the diversity of grape varieties in Austria. Especially the autochthonous varieties are predisposed to express the particularities of terroir wines for the different regions. Above all is Grüner Veltiner, but in the Thermenregion is also Neuburger and Roter Veltliner as well as Zierfandler and Rotgipfler; and each of the red wine varieties - Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Blauer Portugieser – are ideal representatives that give life to the terroir concept.
Austria is able to produce great wines with respect to terroir, thanks to its geography, geology, climate and ampelography, with many precious examples bearing evidence to this fact.
