Each wine region is equipped with its own geographical gifts that are distinct to that small or large section of land. It is a regional character that shines through. It is the wine’s natural identity. It is like having the fingerprints of a place all over the wine.

In the wine world, we call that “terroir.”

Terroir is a French word that translates into the word “soil” in English. This short word, however, extends so much further than just the soil of a parcel of land. The concept of terroir basically encapsulates the overall environment in which the grapes are grown on the vines.

That includes the soil – the mineral makeup of a piece of land – as well as the climate, the weather, sun exposure, vineyard conditions, proximities to bodies of water, altitude and other variables.

Despite the current effort by some winemakers to create a Provençal style rosé outside of Provence, terroir is what makes the “place” of where a wine comes from so special.

This is very important because a land’s unique terroir cannot be replicated or reproduced in any other place outside of that area.

Terroir might be a French term, but it universally speaks to the taste of the place in the glass which is transmitted by the grape varietal or varieties.

Through viticulture – vine agriculture – regional stewards in the form of grape growers and winemakers use the terroir as a way of paying homage to the land. These professionals have a strong relationship with the land, so they respect its history and practices of a wine region.

They nurture it, they listen to it and they become one with it.

To extract the unique terroir, some of these professionals opt to showcase their land by using specific farming practices in their day-to-day management of the land.

There is a renewed interest in taking better care of the land, the vines and the grapes after the various mistakes made during the industrial revolution in the early 1900s. As those mistakes carried on through to the industrial agriculture movement in the 1950s, many of these vineyard managers and winemakers want to do better for the land and the consumers of their products.

That sentiment is honored and practiced with much vigor in several pink wine producing regions, particularly in Provence.

For some, that means only using organic or all-natural means to protect the vineyards from dangerous herbs, pests and fungi. That involves steering clear of any harsh chemicals related to the care of the land. They do not want to damage the unique biodiversity of the soil or cause any erosion.

Others will take it a step further. These farmers utilize a holistic farming approach called biodynamic farming to protect its environment.

In biodynamic viticulture, organic tools are used in the care of the vineyard. However, the maintenance and care are planned and scheduled by the lunar cycle. That takes into consideration the push and pull effects on the Earth from the sun, stars and moon that give life to the land, vines and grapes.

This practice was created in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, scientist and spiritualist. Many farmers outside of the wine space are now practicing biodynamic techniques on many of our agricultural grocery items.

Then there are others who not only want to protect the region’s distinct terroir with organic or biodynamic farming practices, they want to ensure that the vineyard is protected and cared for in a way that sets up long-term, sustainable success.

This is the sustainable viticulture perspective.

Sustainability looks at the ecological, economical and socially responsible practices of farming. It takes into consideration energy conservation, packaging, air quality, water quality and transportation emissions. Always growing in scope, practitioners are constantly looking into new, advanced ways to protect the vineyard as well as the overall environment.

These various practices are put in place so the land can produce healthy vines and healthy fruit. Then that fruit can present a strong representation of the vineyard’s personality as a pink wine. And those wines are produced to ensure that  a significant sense of place comes through on the nose and on the palate.

However, as they take on that labor of love, they contend with environmental issues that are outside of their control.

And some of those conditions can be harsh, which are predetermined by where the regions fall on the planet.

Grape growers and winemakers diligently try to work around them in order to maximize and produce the ideal fruit.

But Mother Nature is the boss.
That leads us to the global wine world.

When taking a broader look at understanding the role on the place in relation to pink wines, it encapsulates a few major themes:

  • Climate zones

  • Traditional versus modern philosophies

  • Overlapping practices

    Some of these elements are fixed. Some of them are ever evolving. Some of them are quite fluid.

    We’ll take a quick, but comprehensive overview of each of the major concepts to present a fuller picture to better understand terroir from a much wider perspective.