Among wine experts, the name “terroir” is often used to describe a wine or in connection with a classification of a location. The French word “terroir” is translated as “soil, geology, and origin”. This is meant to signify that the flavour of an agricultural product reflects the location and the character of its origins. For this reason “terroir” includes the soil, climate, grape variety and, of course, the work of the winemaker.

Site factors
The characteristics of the site affect the quality of the wine. The natural conditions that influence the growth of the vines and the formation of primary aromas in the grapes are called site factors.
The most important of these are the soil, topography, meso-climate (vineyard climate) and the micro-climate (climate within the stand).

The winemaker
Is able to ascertain, which grape variety and viticultural measures are best suited for a particular vineyard. It is his aim to utilize the productive potential of the site to the full. The selected winemaking measures influence the fermentation (fermentation aromas) and the ageing of the wine (ageing aromas). Traditional enological procedures do not aim to mask the influence of the environment and the vintage, resulting in a diversity of wine styles.

The terroir of the vineyard locations in Hessen, the soils, micro-climate and topography is unique. This particular set of conditions cannot be found anywhere else on our planet. The vineyards of the Rheingau are mostly stocked with Riesling. For a good reason: no other grape variety reacts so clearly to differences in soil conditions and micro-climate.

The Rheingau Wine-growers Association and the Wine-growers Association of the Hessische Bergstrasse commissioned Geisenheim College to characterise the terroir of the winegrowing areas in Hessen. The project Terroir Hessen demonstrates the diversity of the different terroirs and the wine styles at www.terroir-hessen.de.