Wine: Colombelle L’Original, Plaimont, Cotes de Gascogne 2013

Terroir is one of those frustrating French terms that is beloved of winemakers and wine-writers but remains little understood by most of the wine-buying public. 

Terroir covers everything from the soil to the sunshine and in many definitions includes the grape-growers and winemakers.

The legendary Dan Mullane of the Mustard Seed in Ballingarry near Adare reminded me at a dinner to celebrate harvest a couple of weeks back that we have our own very special terroir here in Ireland and that the concept is not just relevant to wine.