Why is terroir an issue? Consider this: a large proportion of all the wine available to us, whether from New Zealand or imported, cannot claim a meaningful terroir origin. It is manufactured in industrial circumstances and volumes, often with grapes from a number of regions or sub-regions and then blended or otherwise manipulated to ensure the resultant beverage is much the same this year as it was last year and before. These wines are generally competently made, inexpensive, and for many, enjoyable to drink – they have to be in order to sell. But they can never reflect the sense of place which single-vineyard, terroir-based wines always do, by definition.
It is inevitable that the uniqueness and authenticity which terroir imparts will become increasingly sought out by wine drinkers looking to understand how and why the Bordeaux blend wines from Matakana for example, differ from those of Hawkes Bay, and how and why the Matakana wines differ from one vintage to the next.
The satisfaction which comes with the ability to discern and discriminate in this way cannot be overstated in a world flooded with high quality goods and experiences. It will never lead to the demise of “manufactured” wine because as with most other consumer goods, there will always be a demand for a broad range of prices and qualities.
But for the Matakana terroirists, characterized as we are by family owned, single vineyard winegrowing operations, the notion of terroir cements our place, especially amongst the cognoscenti, as producers of unique and interesting wines. This will ensure that demand for Matakana wines, and in its own small way the prosperity of the region, continues to grow into the future.
Robin Ransom
President, Matakana Winegrowers Inc.
robin@ransomwines.co.nz
Originally published in Mahurangi Matters, September 2007
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