The high drama of volcanic wines

Vines on volcanic soil are hard to grow and their grapes are hard-won, but it all combines to produce wines with a very particular sense of place Good stories need jeopardy. Take The Princess Bride , one of my favourite films, which I recently introduced to my mildly terrified children.

It’s a cult love story of high peril: Westley, believed dead, sets out to win back Buttercup (forced into marriage with another) on a quest involving pirates, duels, torture, a miracle and a battle of wits over a goblet of poisoned wine. There is struggle, magic and, ultimately, emotional reward. You’ll need to stay with me here: volcanic vines, too, tend to have a rocky journey, albeit with happy results for the drinker. My ears perk up at the term “volcanic wine”, despite being less a style than a geological category. Volcanic soils take many forms – ash, basalt, obsidian, pumice, tuff – and interact with climate, altitude, water availability, grape variety and farming to produce wines with a very particular sense of place. Often,…