Terroir - deborahparkerwong

Pelletti Vineyard, Laguna Ridge, Sonoma.

Russian River Valley’s Laguna Ridge Neighborhood

February 16, 2025 deborahparkerwong Russian River AVA, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, SOMM Journal, Sonoma, Terroir, Wine, Wine Tasting, winegrowing, Winemaking

Fog over the Pelletti Vineyard in Laguna Hills, Russian River Valley.

Alvarinho’s Authentic Terroir

July 18, 2021 deborahparkerwong Portugal, Terroir, The Tasting Panel, Wine, winegrowing, Winemaking

Alvarinho produced in its native terroir is incomparable to expressions of the variety grown elsewhere. But it may ultimately prove to be on a trajectory similar to that of Pinot Gris, which is renowned for producing light, delicately floral wines in Italy’s Collio region and wines of great mineral intensity and fruit purity in Alsace. Time will tell.

Following Malbec’s fingerprints to identify terroir

April 7, 2021 deborahparkerwong Argentina, Malbec, sensory, sensory science, SOMM Journal, Terroir, Wine

What Argentina’s savvy winemakers have known for many decades—that certain vineyards reliably produce superlative wines despite vintage variations—is now scientific fact.

France protects sensory heritage

March 12, 2021 deborahparkerwong France, SOMM Journal, Sustainability, Terroir, Wine, winegrowing

An infamous rooster named Maurice and a gaggle of contented geese have helped ensure biodiversity in France. In the face of complaints about the noises and smells typical of the countryside, the French Parliament passed a law on January 21, 2021, protecting what it calls the “sensory heritage” of its rural areas.

Taint or Terroir? (Chinese translation)

December 7, 2020 deborahparkerwong Chinese, Terroir, Wine, wine faults

Rex Ting-chia Ting DipWSET has translated Taint or Terroir for our Chinese readers.

Taint or Terroir?

October 10, 2020 deborahparkerwong Australia, California, Smoke Exposure, SOMM Journal, Terroir

What can we expect as winegrowers in Australia, Chile, France, and the United
States are increasingly forced to adapt their winemaking practices and styles to account for devastating fire seasons?

Paraiso Vineyard: The backbone of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA

August 9, 2018 deborahparkerwong CA State Fair, California, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sustainability, Terroir, Vineyard, Wine, Wine Competitions, winegrowing

Spanish missionaries at Mission Soledad first planted vineyards in the region now known as the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in the late 18th century. But winegrowing on the windswept terraces of the Santa Lucia mountain range began in earnest in 1973 when Rich and Claudia Smith established the Paraiso Vineyard. Parasio is the tenth iconic vineyard to be acknowledged by the California State Fair as Vineyard of the Year.

Twelve months of bubbles

December 27, 2017 deborahparkerwong California, Cava, Champagne, Chardonnay, France, Italy, minerality, Pinot Noir, Prosecco, Rosé, Sonoma, Spain, Sparkling wine, Terroir, Veneto, Winemaking

From Asti to Champagne, bubbles were a bright spot in 2017. While sparkling wine is no longer confined to special[…]

The dark matter of dirt

December 15, 2017 deborahparkerwong SOMM Journal, Spain, Sustainability, Terroir, Wine, winegrowing

With millions of unknown species existing in a ton of soil, biologist Edward Osborne Wilson has called bacteria “the dark[…]

Edetària: Benchmark wines of Catalonia’s Terra Alta DO

September 18, 2017 deborahparkerwong Spain, Terra Alta, Terroir, Wine

Terra Alta is the most westerly of Catalonia’s DOs which are clustered around Barcelona and include Alella, Conca de Barberá, Costers del Segre, Empordà (on the border of France), Montsant, Penedés, Plà de Bagés, Priorat (DOPQ) and Tarragona. Both Cataluña and Cava are broader designations that also apply to the Catalonia region.