What is garrigue, and is it specific to Provence and the Rhône?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Isn’t garrigue a phenomenon specific to Provence and the Southern Rhône? Why do I see the term used in tasting notes for wines from other places?
—Vas, Greece
Dear Vas,
For those not familiar with this French term, garrigue (pronounced gah-REEG) describes the vegetation that grows in limestone on the hills of the Mediterranean Coast. It’s not a single note, but rather a chorus of aromatics including lavender, juniper, thyme, rosemary and sage. In the heat of the summer, the plants release their oils, and you can smell the delightful mixture in the air. It’s thought that those aromatic compounds find their way onto grape skins and actually make it into the finished wine.
If you’ve been lucky enough to experience garrigue firsthand, lucky you. If not, perhaps you know herbes de Provence, or you’ve gone hiking in California and kicked around in the chaparral. Garrigue is similar to both.
The term is most strongly associated with wines from around the Mediterranean Coast, and it’s become a go-to descriptor for the herbal notes found in wines from Provence and the Southern Rhône. For many, it’s also become a general shorthand for herbaceous, earthy notes in wines from other places.
If you’re a wine lover familiar with the green, minty-scented herb and floral aromas, you might find yourself using this vocabulary word to describe wines from other parts of the world. That’s perfectly OK. And if you’re not familiar with the term, you might just pick out minty or herbal notes, or more specific details of sage or thyme. That’s OK, too. Sometimes wine descriptors are very specific, and sometimes they are more broad and generic—and sometimes they can even be both! You can’t always predict what will pop in your mind.
—Dr. Vinny
