Winemakers dish the dirt

"Terroir: Does the Dirt Matter?"

That was the topic for the last winter wine school class led by Marti Macinski of Standing Stone Vineyards last week.

Using a backhoe to dig 6-foot deep holes all around their Hector property told them a lot about the soil on which they were standing. But Marti and her husband Tom were looking for more than what types of soil they had on their land -- nor were they looking for buried treasure.

After digging the holes to get soil samples, they installed standing pipes in each one to monitor the drainage capabilities associated with the various types of soil.

Certified wine specialist Paul J. Malagrifa writes on the Internet site Musings on the Vine (www.musingsonthevine.com) that the translation of the French word "terroir" (teh-RWAHR')

is "earth" or "soil." He goes on to say that nothing French is that simple -- the term terroir also encompasses the weather, climate, aspect of the vineyards and anything that can differentiate one piece of land from another.

Tom and Marti installed drainage tiles, plastic pipes with holes, three to four feet below ground to help divert extra water after heavy rainfalls.

The tiles were installed in a herringbone pattern, at 50-foot intervals, across their property. The excess water drains to the boundary of their property as gravity carries it down the slope.

Changing this feature of their terroir helps keep the vine roots from getting waterlogged.

"We're asking, 'What is it about this site that makes it special, that comes out in the glass?' " Marti said.

Trying to match soil types with specific grape varieties is only part of what the study of terroir is all about. The lay of the land, air drainage and how the sun hits the vines all contribute to the unique characteristics of their vineyard, Marti added.

Thomas Henick-Kling, technical projects director at the New York Agricultural Station in Geneva, agrees. "It is important to know that it is not just soil," Thomas said, as he talked abut factors that contribute to terroir. The slope, climate, exposure of the grapes, and direction of the vineyard rows all play a part in what the final product will taste like.

Soil conditions vary greatly in the Finger Lakes region. For example, some of the wineries along the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake produce Riesling wines with more tropical fruit flavors. Rieslings produced from vines along the western shore of Keuka Lake often provide pronounced mineral tones.

But even these general observations can quickly fall by the wayside. Though a region may predominantly be one kind of soil, individual plots on land may differ so dramatically that it appears as a patchwork quilt on a detailed soil map.

As a couple of Frenchmen tasted pinot noir during a visit to Standing Stone, they asked if there were limestone in the vineyard soil. To Marti's delight, they had been able able to detect that portion of Standing Stone's terroir during their tasting.

Though their winter wine school has concluded, Standing Stone is offering additional classes on the first Saturday of each month beginning in April. Check online at www.standingstonewines.com, or call 800/803-7135 to discover what new topics they have unearthed.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays.