TERRACED TERRIOR Extracting thE bEst out of ExtrEME EnvironMEnts Words & photography DaviD bowDEn oPPositE: the rocky coastline of cinque terre this PAGE, cLocKwisE froM TOP LEft: women chatting outside bar vernazzo, cinque terre; harvest time at cinque terre; Looking out into the Ligurian sea; chasselas grapes from Lake geneva; Patrick fonjallez; vineyards and terraces of the wachau ention vineyards and the of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva should all be series of tunnels and provides an alternate layperson will conjure added to your wine-touring list. link to the coast as well as major Italian in their heads, images Riviera cities of Genoa and La Spezia. of verdant wine estates winEs froM thE fivE LanDs Centuries ago, terraces were carved sweeping off into the Cinque Terre translates as ‘five lands’, but into the near-vertical slopes principally distance. Dangerously this is misleading as it actually refers to for grape production. Restoration efforts Msteep cliffs don’t normally come to mind. five small ports fronting the Ligurian Sea are in place to ensure that these vineyards In fact, they aren’t even on the minds of along the northwestern Italian coast. Stand remain productive. These Roman terraces most winemakers — after all, one has to on the near-vertical ridge above Vernazza are complex structures that have no first survive in the environment before he and the mesmerising combination of cliffs, binding cement and it’s been reported that can even contemplate planting vines. olive orchards, vines and sea make it easy to rebuild them would take 2,500 people, Yet, in some parts of Europe, grapes are to appreciate why this is one of the world’s working daily for two centuries. grown under conditions of extreme terrior most spectacular coastlines. Wines have been made here since the to produce desirable wines. Three examples The ports of Monterosso al Mare, 14th century and today, Vermentino grape come to mind and they all have the most Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and is king in Liguria, but Bosco and Albarola dramatic landscapes that appeal just as Riomaggiore are linked by paths that varieties are also grown. The most famous much to wine connoisseurs as they would meander from ridge top to sands and wine produced is a white called Cinque to the casual tourist. Austria’s Wachau, attract walkers from around the globe who Terre DOC with Costa da Posa being the slopes of the Cinque Terre in northern take up the challenge of the five hour-trek. more expensive and sourced from some of Italy, and Lavaux by the northern shores A rail line traverses the high land via a the coast’s best historic sites. The DOC appetite 123 FOR THE LOVE OF WINES, THE PEOPLE CONSTRUCTED STONE TERRACE WALLS TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF THE VINES — AND SURVIVE THEY DID. wines have a perfumed nose and dry palate terraces, 830ha of vines, and 400km of in the cradle of Lavaux, is a wine of low respectively for light, medium and full-bodied wines. and make superb accompaniments to the stone walls was recognised in 2007 as a acidity, spicy palate and subdued aromas. Wine production is influenced by a terrior dominated by ancient local fish. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking At Epesses within the district of Lavaux, loess soils with gneiss primary rock, steep slopes (some vines are The most expensive wine is called trails dissect the slopes and these are Patrick Fonjallaz produces Chasselas grown on 56° slopes), and aspect to the sun. Wind is a major factor Sciacchetrà which has been described as popular throughout the year. Visitors can (labeled as La République Epesses) that which affects the microclimate of the Wachau with the eastern areas ‘antique gold, flavoured by the cool sea combine parts of the journey with train hint of lime and spiciness on the palate. around Krems being affected by hot Pannonian air that blows in breeze and dried by the sun’s warm kiss.’ and ferry rides to explore the area more Fonjallaz also blends Gamay with a little from the Hungarian Plains. Mid-way along the Wachau in historic It’s a sweet wine usually sold in half bottles thoroughly. Come harvest season, one Merlot in one of his best selling reds called Dürnstein, this dissipates and by Melk, the locals suggest that and comprises of 70 percent late-harvested can even see pickers collecting grapes Les Silènes. For something sweet, enjoy conditions have attained Arctic proportions and no wines of substance Bosco, 20 percent Vermentino and 10 with the aid of an intricate network of half bottles of Passerillé produced by are produced. Hot days and cool nights are distinct characteristics of percent Albarola grapes. You will be able small cable and rail cars. placing white grapes in the sun for three the Wachau and the stone terraces which absorb and retain the heat to find the wine in shops along the walk, The terraces slopes may look as if they months to concentrate the sugar content. contribute to the unique qualities of the wines. but expect to pay around 40 for the are about to slide into Lake Geneva, The remaining sweet juice is then aged in The special mineral composition of the parent soil/rock also privilege of a taste. but the vine roots and stone-walled oak for eight months to produce a golden contributes to distinctive flavours throughout the Wachau and terraces hold everything in place. It is dessert wine bursting with flavours of the flinty minerality that is characteristic of the region’s Grüner anciEnt swiss tErracEs difficult imagining anything growing on stone fruits and quince. Veltiners (especially those produced on soils with primary rocks Some 800 years ago, the French monks the steep terrain, but grape vines can of schist and gneiss). This is no more apparent than in a F.X. from Burgundy introduced grapevines to be surprisingly adaptable. In fact, the wachau by thE DanubE Pichler Grüner Veltliner from the Dürnsteiner Kellerberg grown the people on the northern foreshore of stress placed upon the vines adds to the The oldest wine-producing region in on steep terraces of weathered primary rock that produces a THIS PAGE, cLOCKWISE FROM Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. For the love complexity of the fruit grown and in turn, Austria and UNESCO World Heritage style of great depth, elegance and mineral character. This site is TOP LEft: terraces above Lake of wines, the people constructed stone the wines produced. Site, Wachau is home to 1,400ha of vines considered by some to be one of the world’s best vine growing geneva; Entrance of Domäne terrace walls to ensure the survival of From the 200 winegrowers within grown mostly on steep slopes and feature areas. Other fine producers within this region include: Alzinger, wachau; st-saphorin La rionde the vines — and survive they did. Today, Lavaux — most of which are small estates white varieties of Grüner Veltliner and Domäne Wachau, Franz Hirtzberger, Josef Jamek, Knoll, Rudi 2008 by Patrick fonjallez; french the terraced vineyards of Lavaux — between 6ha to 8ha, with those of 15ha Riesling. This narrow stretch of valley Pichler, Prager and Schmelz. wine barrels in an austrian winery; stretching from Lausanne to Montreux being considered large — come wines is located in Niederosterreich (Lower The quintessential experience is to take a train from Vienna to vernazza harbour, cinque terre — makes the area the most famous produced from local grape varieties such Austria) and extends from Melk to Melk, the ferry from Melk to Krems (April to October) and the amongst Switzerland’s 19 wine regions. as Cornalin or Amigne. The best known Krems. Its wine categories of Steinfeder, train back to Vienna. Cycling along the 38km route offers the best This 35km long network of 10,000 Swiss white variety, Chasselas, produced Federspiel and Smaragd are used winery experience. 124 appetite appetite 125.