Comments on: Why Should Terroir Matter…

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:18:39 +0000

Bruce, I don’t disagree with any of your premises. Do I have a right to state an opinion to state about terroir, despite the fact that I produce largely (though not exclusively) blended wines? I would hope so; my comments are aspirational; vins de terroir are the wines that I would most wish to produce. But Rhone wasn’t built in a day, nor are new, truly sustainable vineyards planted and productive. Agreed that interventionist/non-interventionist dichotomy is quite useful, but as you point out correctly, the whole question really hinges on whether one has had either the wit/luck/accretion of historical knowledge to plant grapes in the right place, with the appropriate culture. Without meeting these criteria, any discussion of terroir is rather moot.

By: Charles Serrano

Charles Serrano — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:55:11 +0000

The term ‘terroir’ has some pretty early usages.

Étymol. et Hist. 1. 1212 tieroir « territoire » (Vente, Ctes d’Art., 47, A. Pas-de-Calais ds Gdf. Compl.); 1229 terroir (Trésor des Chartes du Comté de Rethel, éd. G. Saige, I, 101, 22 ds Morlet, p. 216); d’où 2. 1283 terroir « terrain considéré par rapport à l’agriculture » (Philippe de Beaumanoir, Coutumes, éd. A. Salmon,773); 1549 goust du terroir (à propos d’un vin) (Est., s.v. goust); 1561 fig. resentir son terroir (d’un homme) (J. Grévin, Théâtre compl., éd. L. Pinvert, Au lecteur, p. 49). Du lat. pop. *terratorium du class. territorium, territoire* d’apr. terra, terre*.

source: http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/terroir Centre national de références textuelles et lexicales ; March 2010

I found the 1549 goust du terroir (à propos d’un vin) that largley predates the Napoleonic appelation system to be very interesting.

By: Charles Serrano

Charles Serrano — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:49:13 +0000

The notion of terroir is not just a construct, It s a cultural artifact, evidence that points to a different way of looking at things. The French have a long and complex attachment to the land they live on and the soil they cultivate. French culture is replete with examples. Notre Dame de Paris, as with much gothic architecture in Paris is made of stone found under the city of Paris. Older neighborhoods have buildings that identically match the pavement of the cobblestone streets where they are located. An old roman arena, Les Arènes de Lutèce, serve as a playground for children in the 5th arrondissement. It is as if buildings have grown from the ground itself. But architecture is not the only domain where the French find themselves linked to the soil.
French people identify themselves with their place of origin. Accents aside, amongst each other French people will give their land (‘pays’) of origin as a way of letting others know what they are about. The word ‘pays’ means more than country, there are very clear connotations of region and ethnicity. To be ‘dijonnais’, or ‘toulousain’ is a point of pride. Such appellations imply cultural differences, food preferences and clear penchants for particular sports teams. It is the linguistic equivalent of one American saying to another, I am a Central-California-Coastian. The concept of ‘pays’ plays a part in how a French person defines him- or herself.
The French know where their food comes from. At the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris, the animals and plants are the attraction. If you want to see tractors, irrigation systems and chemical fertilizers you have to go to the convention centers outside of the city. Furthermore, you will see a prize bull standing right next to a food concession giving away beef kebabs. There are no qualms at all about buying chicken with the feet on, or cooking rabbits with the heads on. The French are aware of the fact that their food comes from the land and they live with that notion in their day-to-day consumption.
Another example of how fundamentally important the concept of land is can be found in the French national anthem. La Marseillaise, is a violent song meant to evoke strong, visceral feelings of national pride and defense. It pays homage to the land and the soil in the refrain: Aux armes citoyens ; Formez vos bataillons ; Marchons, marchons ; Qu’un sang impur abreuve nos sillons (May impure blood water our furrows).
You can dismiss the comcept of terroir only by ignoring that that is how French people see things.
Jose Bove, an AOC roquefort maker, has very definite opinion on the topic and as you are probably aware has had some success in affecting public policy.
The question is then, how does this affect wine: You cannot argue that there is no effect without completely ignoring the INOC (The Institut National des Appellations d’Origine ). The INOC not only regulates wine labeling in France as a quality control measure, it regulates what cultivars can be planted; how the vines are trained; appropriate canopy management; tonnage of fruit harvested; fermentation methods; pricing; and, distribution. An example of such regulation is that premier cru Bordeaux wines have to be fermented using native yeasts.
That only leaves you with one logical arguement – French wine and food are not that great anyway.
The French have been setting the standard for a long time and rightly so – they make darn good food and wine. I really think you are ignoring something obvious just because you do not understand what it really implies.

By: Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:23:43 +0000

Thanks man. One tries for coolness in all things, but especially in vineyard sites.

By: Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:22:11 +0000

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:35:51 +0000

cool perspective

By: Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines

Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:01:34 +0000

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By: Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:56:12 +0000

I’m not sure if it is the only solution – vins de terroir are possibly often out of the price range of the ordinary drinker. But certainly honest wines – non-spoofilated in the parlance of Joe Dressner – are definitely a step in the right direction. Like so many other aspects of modern life, we have become quite inured to the grotesque and the outré.

By: Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:55:46 +0000

I love a fruit smoothie as much as the next Santa Cruzan. But as applied to wine, it is just very fatiguing to the palate. I have the conceit that there is an unconscious knowing of what you are missing, but it is very hard to bring to consciousness. The current Bonny Doon line-up are not yet vins de terroir, by a long-shot (they are in many instances blends from multiple sites), but I hope that they do reflect a sensibility that esteems wines with life-force, a degree of minerality, and possess digestibility, i.e. they don’t weaken the person who consumes them. The vins de terroir will come with time.

By: Randall Grahm

Randall Grahm — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:02:45 +0000

Thank you for that very lovely comment. One might simply call terroir the “that which truly is” or maybe that which truly remains. But it is incredibly liberating to try to serve something larger than oneself. As being a relatively self-absorbed individual, the practice of serving this larger other, if I can really stick to it, might well represent something like my spiritual path.