Chemical signature of Malbec wines backs up concept of ‘terroir’

By Chris Simms

David Noton Photography/Alamy

A chemical analysis of Malbec wines from Argentina has shown that the “terroir” of a vineyard can be detected in different vintages. Such analyses could help reduce the massive problem of wine fraud, in which wines are sold as something else or adulterated with cheaper products.

There has long been an idea that terroir – the combination of local geography, geology, climate and wine-making practices – gives a unique flavour to a wine from a particular place. This is why Chateau Lafite or Chateau Margaux claim that no one else can make …