When farmers choose their paddocks, they look for good soil.
When winemakers choose their ground, they look for ‘terroir’ – French term describing the site’s soil, climate and topography which can subtly or even substantially influence the way grapes grow and what they taste like when made into wine.
Back in 1922, soil quality was the prime concern for a pioneering WA settler named George John Alexander Swinney when he went to the Frankland River region in the Great Southern to choose a site for farming by the banks of the river.
But these days, terroir – and understanding it – has become the prime motivation for the modern generations of his family who have established Swinney Vineyards at the ‘Frankland’ site and across several other blocks in the region, all perched on on gravelly hill tops.
SOURCE: WA TODAY
DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 2016