A WINEMAKER'S TERROIR PRIMER
And rambling thoughts about drinking regional wines....
For those of you who wonder about how a wine is born, I offer a few words to better understand why the wines of our Atlantic Uplands region taste like they do. My simple definition of Terroir is "the interactive eco-system of a given place including its climate, soil, and grape varieties." It is, in a sense, the language of our land - a record of our geology and topography, updated yearly by the rain, hail, snow, humidity and temperatures of the Brandywine Valley. In other words, it is everything that we do not do, but react to.
In general the local terroir of the wines I grow at the Miller Estate Vineyard is like this:
Climate:
A mild winter that allows vines to over-winter with minimal cold damage. Occasionally we have sufficient winter warmth to entice vines into taking in moisture that they cannot move to their roots before cold spells, which causes tissue damage in the trunk and cordon. Thus cordons and trunks are occasionally replaced by the observant pruner over the following two or three years. We enjoy a hot growing season that ripens wood and fruit nearly 24 hours, both day and night, that dispels excess acid, modulates color and skin tannins, and enhances delicate fruit, spice and other unique regional characteristics. Our growing season is approximately 5 months or 153 days.
 Soil:
The soils in the foothills have been washed down over the millenniums from the ancient Appalachian Mountains and are often gravel silt loams. Highly complex, somewhat moisture retentive soils allow roots to draw thirstily from 12 inches to 30 feet depending on depth to bedrock. These soils, typically virgin to grape growing, are very powerful and capable of great vigor (given frequent rains during the growing season).
Variety:
The old-world vinifera varieties we grow, like Chardonnay, Barbera, Pinot Noir and Cabernet, are affected by the rootstock they are grafted onto (typically the same rootstocks as used in Burgundy and California). With these classic varieties we measure success each year according to their ability to source moisture and nutrients, retain acidity, and generate sugars, tannins and flavors that we translate into the wines we make. Average pH ranges from 3.2 to 3.6 (3.45 to 3.65 pH as finished wines); sugars from 20 to 24 degrees Brix (translating to 11.5% to 13.5% finished alcohols).
Character:
 Wines from the Atlantic Uplands are typically delicate, light colored, not highly alcoholic, medium-bodied, with fine flavors and a delicate touch on the palate (crying out for local cheeses, fresh Atlantic fish, regional vegetables, Kennett Square mushrooms, grass-fed Pennsylvania lamb or beef). Since our reds derive most of their tannins from ripe brown grape seeds, we do not typically need to barrel age more than nine months or a year to have a smooth mouth-feel of fine silky tannins.
I'm not quite finished in this local terroir harangue, so you can look forward to a bit more statistical data on our climate and soils....but I am momentarily sidetracked by the thoughts of local foods that snuck into my previous paragraph. That quick digression took me back to my childhood living in Burgundy where we all drank our neighbor's wines. (Have you ever been in a Beaune wine shop and tried to buy a bottle of classified Bordeaux? Ha!)
In today's world of mass global marketing of popular wines like Yellow Tail, I passionately want you all to think about where you live and what grows there. Know your fruits and vegetables. Know your cheeses. Know the wines that are typical of your best winegrowers. Support a small local carbon footprint. Buy Fresh, Buy Local!
 So....how do I enhance the appreciation for the wines I, and my fellow winemakers, grow? To open minds to include the unique regional products right here in our backyards? Things we might miss because they are so obvious? Would love to hear what you think.
Meanwhile, click here to read more on the local terroir of the Brandywine Valley from my good friend and fellow locavore, Roger Morris.
Eric Miller
Winemaker
P.S. If you're interested in this subject, mark your calendar for my fall series of local wine & food pairings sessions (October 2, 9, 16, & 23) entitled "Lessons from a Locavore." More info to come, but check here for our initial press release!
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