Does Terroir Matter?

Joel Stein, in an article for TIME, decided to try wines from all 50 states after learning that there was wine in all 50 states (North Dakota was the last to begin making wine in 2002), and in doing so, seriously questioned how much terroir matters.  Apparently, the winemaker for Charles “2-Buck Chuck” Shaw thinks that terrior doesn’t count for anything and that it’s merely a device for wineries to overcharge for their wines (“I am Jack’s complete lack of surprise.”)

Stein and his friends found that there were some pretty good wines made all over the US, and some pretty unusual varietals, which were interesting to try.  Of course, there were some “real stinkers” too, in the words of Gary Vaynerchuk of WLTV fame, who was one of Stein’s tasters.

There are few who would say that terroir doesn’t matter at all, but it is true that you can make a bad wine out of good grapes.  One key, which Stein also seems to believe, is selecting the right grapes to grow on a specific terroir.

Today, we’re heading back out to Bainbridge Island Winery to hang out with Gerard Bentryn, the winemaker.  His wine is all estate grown, despite the popular misconception that you can’t grow grapes well in Western Washington because of the climate.  But Gerard is an example of a winemaker who grows the right kind of grapes for his terroir.  Try his Seigerebe, if you haven’t, and you’ll see what I mean.