University of California Davis have put forward a theory that fine wines possess unique chemical "fingerprints" which distinguish them from other wines, even when they are made by the same winemaker, using the same grape varieties and procedure.The premise of the research is that individual terroirs can be "fingerprinted", which is to say the characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place possess combine to make a wine unique.
The word "terroir" can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place," which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product.
The research reinforces the old belief that individual vineyards and milieux really do sometimes have properties which cannot be duplicated.
