Proof of terroir

Screen capture of Bodega Catena Zapata website. 

A study from the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina finds chemical evidence that the soils in which a vine grows leave an indelible stamp on the wine. A new study*, published in Nature's Scientific Reports journal in February and led by winemaker Roy Urvieta, using techniques Fernando Buscema - the Bodega Catena Zapata winemaker and director of the Catena Institute of Wine - developed, suggests that it is possible to identify the vineyard from which a wine comes based on the wine’s chemical composition. He identified 27 volatile and phenolic compounds to measure and focused on Malbec. 

Of the 23 vineyard sites studied in the Mendoza region, 11 could be identified with 100% accuracy, while the remaining 12 were identified with up to 83% certainty. In all, 201 wines from three recent vintages were analyzed. The researchers hope that understanding Argentina’s soils and how vines incorporate elements will help winemakers elevate the quality of Malbec and influence its reputation. It will help vintners better understand what differentiates their wines and perhaps contribute to the understanding of how a maturing vineyard absorbs changes in terroir. In other words, if terroir can be quantified, then perhaps it can also be improved or exploited. Imposters could easily be exposed as well. 

On April 1, 2020, Catena Zapata was named Drinks International World's Most Admired Wine Brand 2020. I've admired them since I read Vineyard at the End of the World and tasted their extraordinary wines. Congratulations Nicolás Catena Zapata and daughter Laura and all the people who make Bodega Catena Zapata what it is. 

Wine Spectator explores the ramifications.  

*Urvieta, R., Jones, G., Buscema, F. et al. Terroir and vintage discrimination of Malbec wines based on phenolic composition across multiple sites in Mendoza, Argentina. Sci Rep 11, 2863 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82306-0