A terrene of a wine for Sir Walter Raleigh whose The Historie of the World in 1614 introduced the word terrene into the English language. “God set before him a mortal and immortal life,” wrote Sir Walter,” a nature celestial and terrene.”
Glug Wines is bringing Terrene back with the first release of a Terrene Estates South Australia Shiraz Cabernet 2018. It seems a more appropriate term for a wine from a dry land than that French one terroir.
And Sir Walter would surely approve of inspiring a wine brand. He was, after all, the man who after eating a hearty breakfast and smoking his beloved pipe on the day of his execution was offered a glass of sack*. On being asked how he liked it replied: ‘I will answer you as did the fellow who drank of St Giles’ bowl as he went to Tyburn: “It is a good drink, if a man might tarry by it”.
But don’t tarry too long before ordering this new wine. It is cheaper than normal as we want to snap customers out of their festive slumber. We call it a quaffing dry red or excellent backyard barbecue wine. QDR’s were good enough for Lakes Folly and Rothbury Estate to supply members and in my opinion every winery should make something similar and worry less about being snooty and above the thronging mob. Glug preserves its instinct as retailers and offers a terrene of a wine for Sir Walter Raleigh at an attractive price
*Sack is an antiquated wine term referring to white fortified wine imported from mainland Spain or the Canary Islands
