Sense of Place

Tag: terroir

  • From Humid North Carolina to Galicia: Following Albariño Home

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    by Nicolette L. Cagle, June 14, 2026 The first time I knowingly tasted Albariño (Alvarinho) was over a decade ago in a blend produced by Bedell Cellars, a winery on the North Fork of Long Island, New York. The wine had a floral nose and notes of grapefruit, influenced in part by the Sauvignon Blanc…

  • Notes on Colchagua Valley Wines

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    Originally published 2021, with updates in 2026. Overview. Chile has been producing wine since the middle of the sixteenth century and is one of the few major wine-producing countries unaffected by phylloxera. Most of its vines therefore grow on their own roots rather than being grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock (The Wine Diplomats, n.d.; Puckette, 2016).…

  • Notes on Nebbiolo in Piemonte

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    This post was written in 2021, with additional updates in 2026. Overview. Piemonte has been producing wine since the Middle Ages, and Nebbiolo has been documented there since the thirteenth century (Bansal 2017; Robinson, Harding, and Vouillamoz 2012). By 1431, the village of La Morra imposed fines on people who cut Nebbiolo vines (Bansal 2017).…

  • Notes on the Wines of Rioja

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    Overview. Located in north-central Spain, the DOCa Rioja wine region extends across the autonomous communities of La Rioja, the Basque province of Álava, and Navarre, with one registered winery in an enclave of Castilla y León. Wine has been produced in the area since at least Roman times, although the region’s wine culture is older…

  • Notes on Australian Wine

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    Overview. With 65 designated wine regions spread from coast to coast and across deserts, valleys, and mountain ranges, Australian wines are diverse and interesting. Australia is also home to some of the oldest continuously producing grapevines in the world. Although phylloxera affected vineyards in parts of eastern Australia, many South Australian vineyards escaped it because…

  • Notes on Burgundian Wine

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    This was originally written in December 2019. Some edits were made in 2026. Burgundy’s wines are shaped by a long winemaking history and a complex geology of limestone, marl, and clay. Although Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate, the region also produces wines from Aligoté, Gamay, and several less common varieties. Burgundian Wine History. Much of…

  • Wines of Israel and Palestine

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    This post was originally written in September 2019. Some updates were added in 2026 to reflect modern geopolitics. The wines in this tasting come from a geographically small but remarkably varied part of the southern Levant. Vineyards extend from the high, volcanic landscapes of the Golan Heights to the limestone hills around Jerusalem and Bethlehem…

  • Greek Wine Notes

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    Nicolette Cagle
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    Greek wine reaches back through thousands of years of cultivation, cultural exchange, disruption, and revival. This tasting explores several of Greece’s distinctive native grapes and the landscapes that shape them—from the elevated vineyards of Macedonia to the limestone soils of Kefalonia and the high plateaus of the Peloponnese. Greek Wine History. Wine has been produced…