Definition
Fine wines are those that bring the most pleasure, physically but also culturally, to
the person tasting them, by their sensations of complexity and elegance ; and their
ability to improve with aging during their conservation. Their history, their antiquity,
and the memories that their names evoke are part of the pleasure.
What makes a wine great ?
The factors which determine the qualities of fine wines are complex and present numerous interactions between themselves. They are :
The soil, durable factor, relatively stable, but which can be improved (or worsened)
by human interaction.
Good vine growing soils are those that supply the correct amount of water and
nutrients to the vines in the springtime, then dry out progressively throughout
the summer months, thereby restricting the capacity of the plant to grow new leaves
and provoking a early growth stop and consequencely encouraging better maturation of
the grapes. The gravelly soil of Margaux, deep and emaciated, fills this rôle
to perfection.
Climatic conditions, which vary annually, determine in large part the personality
of each vintage.
Simplified, the sun brings to the vine the energy necessary for its growth and
maturation of its fruit. From the veraison onward (when the grapes turn from green
to purple), a hot and dry end-of-summer/beginning-of-autumn determines a «
great vintage ». Inversely, if this same period is wet and overcast, a
vintage less rich, maybe less ripe, a « lesser vintage » will be
produced.
Human intervention, by many actions (different choices, growing techniques,
vinification, aging, etc.) is a variable factor whose effect can be rapid,
or often relatively slow. It is true that to each wine maker / vine grower
corresponds a wine. Over the long term, measured on a scale of centuries,
man’s role has always been visible, and rich in information. Man is
also empiricy, so important concerning the vineyards and the wines.
Yields (i.e., quantities produced per surface unit, or better expressed per
unit of exposed leaf surface) also play an important role, by an effect of
delution or concentration in the grapes, and a rôle played in the quality
of their ripening.
