Five great sommeliers on how the terroir can affect a wine, and the tastes to look for .

This Sunday, at Berber & Q Shawarma Bar in London, co-owner Mr Mattia Bianchi will launch the first of three rather special wine-tasting events. Happening once a month, DIRT. will see some of the world’s most respected sommeliers battle it out to showcase the best wine from three chosen soils: “magma”, “peak”, “salt” – enjoyed alongside a Middle Eastern menu. To get ahead of the game, we asked some of the sommeliers involved for some sneak-preview, insider knowledge. Find out more, below, or experience it first hand by picking up some tickets, here. “To make it dead simple, a bottle of wine is a result of a grape which grows on a vine that has roots in the soil or terroir, so we should not be surprised about how important the latter is,” says Mr Bianchi by way of explanation. “Alice Feiring’s The Dirty Guide To Wine is a very good book for anyone that wants to understand this topic better. As she writes, ‘Looking for clues from the soil, even if you don’t find them, heightens your tasting sensitivity and increases enjoyment…’”

**Ms Alessandra Saponara, senior sommelier, Fera, Claridge’s, London ** **[feraatclaridges.co.uk

](www.feraatclaridges.co.uk)Find out more about Claridge’s here **

El Pino Rojo by Bodega Barranco Oscuro

“It is a fleshy, juicy, perfumed, spicy pinot noir with an incredible balance. It’s grown in Andalusia, southernmost region in Spain. The Bodega and its vineyards are located around 1,300m above sea level, in the Alpujarra region, south of Sierra Nevada. The wine matches very well with white meats or earthy vegetables like mushrooms or beetroots.”

“This soil type and the altitude bring freshness and structure to balance the ripeness of the fruit. Poor, stony soils give high-quality grapes with a good concentration of aromas. Altitude is the key to retain acidity because it brings difference between day and night temperatures: being so close to the equator and high up in altitude, sunlight is very intense during the day, but temperature drops incredibly during the night.”

Ms Sandia Chang, sommelier and co-owner, Bubbledogs, London

bubbledogs.co.uk

Tajinaste Listan Negro

“This wine is from the Canary Island of Tenerife. It is medium body with soft tannins, black berry fruits. I think this is a great wine for barbecues. Although Tenerife is warm, it is surrounded by water giving it a cool, temperate climate all year round. The grapes come from really old root stocks that were never affected by phylloxera which adds to the intensity of the wine.”

“Volcanic soil gives the wine a slight flinty, smoky character that comes, I believe from the soil itself. Best areas for volcanic soil terroirs would be Sicily, Tenerife and Santorini.”

Ms Nominoe Guillebot, wine boss, Lyle’s, London ** Find out more about Lyle’s here **

“I have chosen a wine made by Alex Castex, from the vineyard Les Casots du Mailloles in Banyuls in Languedoc. The wine is called Vin Sin Num, it is 2010, which is a blend of old vines of grenache noir, gris, blanc, mourvèdre and syrah.”

“The wine is like a wave in your palette. The fruit is cooked, dark, with a very nice spice but a very nice freshness. The wine is deep, rich with a real sensation of saltiness. It is concentrated but soft and easy to drink. There is a very precise and long finish. It is a very good wine to pair with lamb, perhaps with an anchovy sauce and grilled kale.”

“I don't really see salt like a terroir, but more like a sensation depending on the terroir or the climate. In Banyuls, the soil is very poor. The climate is very dry and hot. And because the vineyard is in terraces, when there is rain, water has a tendency to build up. The vines are thirsty, and have got just enough strength for the roots to go deep in the soil to find water and minerals that they need to make tasty grapes. The soil and the climate bring a very nice sensation of saltiness to the wine.”

Ms Clément Jeannin, head sommelier, Vivant, London

vivantparis.com

Colioure 2015 by Michaël Georget, Roussillon, France, made up of 35 per cent grenache blanc, 35 per cent grenache gris, 30 per cent grenache noir.

“Collioure is a wine producing area from the South of France (Roussillon), close to the Spanish border, in terraces. The altitude and proximity to the sea bring freshness and balance to a powerful blend of local grape varieties. The three types of grenaches [grape variety] are old (70-90 years), and their roots are deep in the soil, which brings freshness and water when they need it.”

“The subsoil of the parcel is composed mostly of silty-clay, with scree (loose stones) of different kinds such as gneiss, quartz, micaschists. The water-retention capacity is limited but as the vines are old and never knew any chemical products (probably because of its difficult access), the roots are deep into the ground and can give some water back when needed. This balance brings acidity and freshness to the grapes. This soil structure enables the wine to have both power and intensity but at the same time freshness and acidity.”

**Mr Edouard-Charles Souchal, Manfreds, Copenhagen

manfreds.dk **

The Blanc 2013 from Patrick Bouju

“Body, texture and an incredible finish with a unique energy. It is a white wine made of chardonnay, coming from Auvergne in France. With such wine, you can go from a late aperitif to grilled veggies/fish/chicken.”

“Because of the ‘empreintes’. The five prints of a hand needed for the perfect touch: the soil, the vines, the grape, the vintage and obviously the man, what a character.”

“It is volcanic, Auvergne is known as the dead volcanos region. It is the perfect and one the most hospitable environment for plants to absorb water through their roots. The vines are strong, healthy, full of life and age really well too. It is the best example as being independent from human intervention.”

“For me, these wines are ‘alive’ and nothing can beat that. When you have such wines you do understand where they're from, the terroir. There is something missing when a wine has been manipulated, filtered, sulphured, aromatized. We are beyond the trend. It is a philosophy, a lifestyle, a choice to do it this way and to let the nature speaks for itself. The result is here, c’est bon.”

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