Places for Grapes

Over the months, we've explored lots of different topics here. We've traveled around the world virtually visiting lots of countries and all 7 continents. We've tried different wines made of different grapes, pairing them with foods and getting to know some of the best the world has to offer. But, we're about to start down a different path, largely because I need a new type of topic.

What makes a vineyard special? Why are grapes from one vineyard so much better and more expensive than another? What makes a winery or just a grower choose a particular piece of land? And, once chosen, why do they plant it the way they do?

We've touched on this over the months, but we are going to explore it in a bit more detail. Is it a passion for a particular grape? Is it the love of a particular style? Can you tell something about a particular vigneron by the way the vines are planted?

Just for startes, I'll explain a little about the vineyards near me. In Georgia, that is the State of Georgia, not the country, most wines made of estate grown grapes are frankly quite pedestrian. Those that are not, for the most part, are worse.

As an example, I choose a winery not far from here (I am being a bit cryptic because for reasons that will become obvious, I don't want to identify the winery). I had a chance to taste a lot of the wines being produced there and to talk to the owner/winemaker about them.

I asked him why he grew the grapes he grows. He said he likes them. That's fine, but not all of them grow well here. I asked him how he chose what he planted where. He said he just planted the next grape where there was open space.

And his wines showed this. There was little thought. His wines are fermented grape juice. If you drink enough and can stomach them, you will get a buzz. And, if you drink a little bit more, you will get a hangover.

Tomorrow, though, we will start to explore some places where the wines are better and understand why. But, that's for tomorrow.



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