Terroir: the signature of place
No wine exists apart from the place where it is born. Soil, climate, altitude and sun exposure influence the vineyard and help explain why the same grape varieties can produce such different wines.
Much more than soil
When we talk about terroir, we mean a combination of conditions. Soil composition is only one of them. Temperature, rainfall, slope orientation and temperature variation also influence the development of the grapes.
In Portugal, the diversity of wine regions allows us to find very different expressions, even among familiar grape varieties.
From vineyard to glass
Place alone does not determine the final result. Decisions made in the vineyard and winery are also fundamental. Even so, knowing where a wine comes from helps us better understand what we find in the glass.
Tasting wines from different regions is therefore also a way of discovering different landscapes and approaches to working the vineyard.
Knowing the origin is another way of knowing the wine.