| Terroir pertains to the special characteristics of wines brought about by geography. Terroir denotes to the “sense of a place” embodied by the nature and effects of the physical environment to the development or creation of a product. In this article, we will explore how the climate, soil and vines of Australia influenced the production of tasty Australian wines. |
|
Climate of Australia
Argentina is subject to various climatic changes. The northern part of the country is marked by hot, humid summers with dry winters, as well as, occasional droughts. Southern Argentina features warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfalls particularly in elevated areas. Luckily, all the viticultural areas in Argentina are located in arid zones characterized by temperate climates.
Limited winters with abundance of sunny days. The temperature averages to about 15 degrees Celsius. The annual mean temperature in these areas is about 13.80 degrees Celsius.
The annual rainfall measures between 150 and 400 mm. It is also more frequent in spring and summer. Strictly speaking, rainfall is insufficient for the cultivation of vines, thus making it necessary that wine-growers irrigate the surface and sometimes the subterranean water.
Soil of Australia
Much of arid Australia consists of mineral or skeletal soils that contain virtually no organic content. They consist of rough mantle of weathered rock. There are also gypsum present in desert loams and arid red earths. The semiarid regions feature soils that are alkaline or lime- like in feature.
It is also observed that the darkest bands of vegetation with the largest, tallest trees are nestled among red-brown clay rich soils overlying dark grey dolomitic shale and dolomite. The shaly rocks contain no dolomite but features quartz of paler, thinner vegetation cover.
Vine Production in Australia
Coonawarra in Australia may be the best example to consider in terms of the influence of terroir to wine production. Coonawarra is the famed narrow strip of terra rossa soil that is renowned for cultivating the one most distinct and best wine in the world. The Coonawarra terra rossa is below a geological formation called Padthaway Formation which comprises of silty to sandy sedimentary rocks that are calcareaous and ferruginous. The following properties results in soil that are free-draining and has calcium carbonate. The grapes planted on the soil west and east of the terra rossa strip tend to yield more fruit than those cultivated on the “terra rossa”. The red-brown soils that overlie limestones to the east of the Naracoorte Range are quite similar t the Coonawarra terra rosse. Nevertheless, these soils are quite different in structure and composition that the terra rossa. It contains around 50% less potassium and clay minerals.
The reddish soils of Hunter Valley is the most conducive when it comes to growing shiraz. These soils where formed through volcanic rocks and the sedimentary rocks with minimum quartz sand. For Semillon, the most appropriate soil to utilize is that of paler-colored sandy soils, rich in quartz grains, which have formed on sandstones.
Explore Australian Wine:
|
|
|
|
