Vineyard Center

Grape Growing

The French use the term "terroir" to define the physical properties of the land where grapes are grown and the climate that influences the area. There is a direct relationship between the quality of the wine and its terroir. Terroir encompasses the soil composition, the geography of the land and its climate. In Europe from the 14th to 18th centuries, experiments matching a particular grape variety to a specific terroir taught early winemakers what worked and what didn't. Adventurous Californians experimented with plantings of different varietals in unusual places and found great success, thus changing the winemaking rules forever.