TEQUILA: A TASTE OF TERROIR

As spirits connoisseurs show an increasing appreciation of premium sipping tequilas, the concept of terroir is starting to be explored with single-site bottlings. Laura Foster heads to Mexico to find out more

- Laura Foster

When you think about tequila, the last thing that comes to mind is probably terroir. Long viewed as a spirit to slam back, chased with bitter lemon wedges, or as a crowd-pleaser in Margarita cocktails, tequila has moved on from its traditional party image in recent years. Indeed, this distinctive spirit, so evocative of Mexico, can now command a space at the connoisseurs’ table, as education that this is a spirit to sip and savour trickles down.

The increasing popularity of premium, high-quality tequila has gone hand-in-hand with more intellectual ways of appreciating the spirit – and the discussion around terroir is certainly part of this newer discourse.

So how does the concept of terroir apply in tequila? Going back to basics, the raw material used to make tequila is Blue Weber agave, a particular strain of plant that looks like a giant pineapple, with long, sword-like leaves. Much like grape vines, the agave plant has many different varieties, all with their own shapes and flavour characteristics.

You can try many of these different strains in other agave-based spirits such as mezcal. However, tequila producers are only legally allowed to use Blue Weber, a variety that takes roughly six to eight years to mature before it can be harvested by hand.

‘Blue Weber agave was chosen for tequila because it’s one of the sweetest,’ explains Arantxa García Barroso of Patrón Tequila, as we walk the fields, avoiding the razor-sharp ends of the agave leaves stretching up into the azure-blue sky.

Sugar highs – and lows