Terroir

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Not to be confused with Terror (disambiguation).

The steep slope, soil quality, and influence of the nearby Mosel river distinguish the terroir of this German wine region.

Terroir (/tɛˈrwɑːr/, French: [tɛʁwaʁ]; from terre, lit. 'lands') is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contextual characteristics are said to have a character; terroir also refers to this character.[1]

Some artisanal crops for which terroir may apply include wine, cheese, coffee, single malt whisky, onions, and tea.

Terroir is the basis of the French wine appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, which is a model for wine appellation and regulation in France and around the world. The AOC system presumes that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that growing site (the plants' habitat). The extent of terroir's significance is debated in the wine industry.[2]

Origins

Over the centuries, French winemakers developed the concept of terroir by observing the differences in wines from different regions, vineyards, or even different sections of the same vineyard. The French began[

Grand Cru vineyards of Burgundy.[5]

Elements

Chablis
premier cru Fourchaume are terroir-driven.

While wine experts disagree about the exact definition, particular consideration is given to the natural elements that are beyond the control of humans.[citation needed]

Components often described as aspects of terroir include:[2]

The interaction of climate and terroir is generally broken down from the

bodies of water, which affect how the climate interacts with the region, and includes the elements of aspect and elevation of the vineyard location.[2] Other organisms growing in, on, and around the vine plots refers to the region specific fauna, flora, and microflora present in the vineyards. The microbial populations in vineyards have been described as being a quantifiable aspect of the overall terroir.[7][8]

Mark A. Matthews, a professor of viticulture and plant physiology at University of California, Davis, has described the common conception of terroir as a myth. While Matthews agrees local characteristics can have an effect on plant growth and the wines made from particular grapes, he points out that the term is imprecisely defined, and also proposes the concept of terroir is accepted primarily based on traditional belief, and is not backed by rigorous data or research.[9]

Human controlled elements

The definition of terroir can be expanded to include elements that are controlled or influenced by humans. This can include the decision of which grape variety to plant, though whether or not that grape variety will produce quality wine is an innate element of terroir that may be beyond human influence. Some

fermentation instead of cultured or laboratory produced yeast can be a reflection of terroir. The use of oak is a controversial element since some will advocate that its use is beneficial in bringing out the natural terroir characteristics while others will argue that its use can mask the influences of the terroir.[2] Vineyard management (e.g., growing grapes organically or biodynamically over a more conventional method of farming) can also be seen as a human controlled aspect of terroir.[10]

Influences of viticulture and winemaking

Many decisions during the

fining agents, and reverse osmosis all have the potential to either reduce or emphasize some aspect derived from the terroir. Winemakers can work between the extremes of producing wine that is terroir-driven and focused on purely expressing the unique aspects of a region's terroir, or winemaking that is done without any consideration given to terroir. Furthermore, aspects of terroir such as climate and soil type may be considered when deciding such things as which grape variety to plant if the goal is to make good wine rather than terroir-driven wine.[2]

The importance of these influences depends on the culture of a particular wine region. In France, particularly Burgundy, there is the belief that the role of a winemaker is to bring out the expression of a wine's terroir. The French word for "winemaker,"

vigneron, is more aptly translated as "wine-grower" rather than "winemaker". The belief that the terroir is the dominant influence in the wine is the basis behind French wine labels emphasizing the region, vineyard, or AOC more prominently than the varietal of grape, and often more prominently than the producer.[11]

Appellation systems

The influence of terroir means that wines from a particular region are unique, incapable of being reproduced outside that area, even if the grape variety and winemaking techniques are painstakingly duplicated. Winemakers in Burgundy do not believe that they are producing

clonal variety
of Sangiovese, in the same soil composition as found in the Chianti region with winemakers using the Tuscan method of production, there is an assumption that the two wines will be different due to terroir.

The names of these European wine regions are protected so that wines from different regions and different terroir are not confused with wines from that those regions – i.e. A

grassroots movement to produce wines with added terroir value with intention to enhance the Spanish rural wine culture.[12]

Impact of climate change

As climate change disrupts long-established patterns of temperature and precipitation in wine-growing regions and causes more extreme weather events, there are potential serious impacts on terroir and the wine industry. Hotter temperatures and an earlier growing season can push berries towards a higher sugar content, less acids and differences in secondary compounds that are important for aromas. Growers are attempting to adapt in a variety of ways in response. In 2021, in a controversial move, the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment formally authorized wine producers in the Bordeaux region to experiment on a trial basis with four red and two white vine types selected from other areas of France. The new types can make up no more than 10% of the final wine blend. The rest must be from the six red and eight white grape varieties traditionally cultivated in the region during its 2,000 year history.[13][14] Another approach to protecting plants against the effects of climate change involves experimenting with rootstocks to develop plants that are resilient, vigorous and use water more efficiently under stressful conditions. Differences in planting, irrigation and harvesting practices are also being studied. Practices developed in warmer climates like Australia, Israel, South America, and Spain are being adapted for use in countries that used to be cooler, as temperatures rise.[13]

In other drinks

The concept of terroir exists in other drinks, notably in tea (

barrel aging.[15]

In artisan cheese

Pasture in the Alps. Alp cheeses are characterised by the variety of herbs and flowers found at higher elevations.

The tenet of terroir has also been applied to the production of artisan cheese,[16] and French authorities have fought to balance traditional cheesemakers terroir cheeses concerns with those of major industrialists.[17]

The flavor of cheeses (and other dairy products) is impacted by the production location.[18] For instance, Alpine pastures are composed of a larger variety of grasses, herbs, and flowers, than those in the lowlands. At higher elevations, the flora also changes significantly throughout the grazing period (from spring to autumn), thus also impacting the taste of cheeses produced in different batches. In Switzerland, Alp cheese is typically indicated with a special logo, in addition to the Appellation d'origine protégée (AOP).[19]

Commercial interests

The importance of terroir affects the price of the agricultural product as well as the products made from the product. Branding, variety, and farmer identification affects the price of a product. The Slow Food movement appreciates history of a variety of plant or animal, the story of the farmer who produced it, and ultimately the quality of the product. Chefs and bakers develop their own list of qualities they desire for their creations, and terroir affects these.

Wine critics question the value of a Pinot noir wine from a Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard relative to a wine produced from the "lesser terroir" of a

Premier Cru
vineyard, and whether it merits the higher price. These doubts also arise when the quality of winemaking and other human influences are taken into account, which may be of a higher standard with the "lesser" premier cru.

These critics also question the difference between

over-ripened fruit, cultured yeast, micro-oxygenation, and color pigment additives – obscure or even eliminate the influence of terroir in making different regions unique. Critics often point to the homogenizing effect on mass-produced wines made from popular varietals like Chardonnay, which may have their terroir characteristics hidden by invasive and intensive winemaking. A heavily oaked, over-ripe Chardonnay from California can taste very similar to the same style of wine from elsewhere. The marketability of wines from different regions and producers is affected by the importance accorded to terroir, both by the wine industry and consumer wine markets, with some producers downplaying terroir and its effect on their wines.[2]

Outside Europe

In the United States, the principles of terroir have been applied in a few limited instances, such as

United States Federal Trade Commission.[21]

In some East Asian countries, terms like terroir or marriage have been popularised by Japanese manga. A 2008–09 Korean drama, most of whose leading characters work with wine, is titled Terroir after the main setting, a wine restaurant in turn named for the concept.

In popular culture

The concept of terroir has been discussed in several films and television shows. Jonathan Nossiter's 2004 documentary, Mondovino, explores the globalization of the wine business, and features interviews with a number of small producers, mostly French, who talk about terroir. In the 2006 BBC series, Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure, one episode is almost entirely devoted to Oz Clarke teaching James May about terroir. At the end of the episode, May identifies three wines successfully, placing them in the correct order on the basis of the quality of terroir they come from.

L'aile ou la cuisse (The Wing or the Thigh) with Louis de Funès. In 2014 Keith Carradine starred in John Charles Jopson's Edgar Allan Poe-inspired film Terroir. Terroir is frequently referenced in Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 novel Authority
.

See also

References

  1. ^ Tanzer, Stephen. "What is terroir?". Stephen Tanzer's Winophilia. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  3. ISBN 0-7645-5354-2
    .
  4. ISBN 9780761187158. Retrieved 29 June 2016. [...] the period most crucial in the region's history was the thousand-year period from the eighth century to the French Revolution, when much of the land and most of its wines were under the powerful command of Benedictine and Cistercian monks. [...] Contemplative by nature, patient in temperament, systematic in approach, committed to grueling physical labor, well bestowed with land, and, most important, literate, the monks were uniquely prepared for their mission: to delineate and codify Burgundy's vineyards. Plot by plot, they cleared and cultivated the most difficult limestone slopes of the Côte d'Or, studiously comparing vineyards and the wines made from them, recording their impressions over centuries. Tantamount to a millennium-long research project, the work of these monks [...] in fact, for the first time, established terroir as the critical core of viticulture
    .
  5. ISBN 1-56305-434-5
    .
  6. PMID 25251495
    .
  7. PMID 24277822
    .
  8. PMID 25062126
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0520276956
    .
  10. ISBN 9781845694845
    .
  11. ^ McCarthy & Ewing-Mulligan (2001), pp. 12–13.
  12. S2CID 240441688
    .
  13. ^
    doi:10.1146/knowable-062222-1
    . Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  14. ^ Voss, Roger; Buckley, Kathleen (8 February 2021). "Bordeaux Aims to Protect its Future with New Grape Varieties". Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  15. ^ Risen, Clay (21 August 2018). "Can Liquor Have a Local Taste? They're Banking on It". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  16. ^ Erlanger, Steven (31 August 2013). "Vive le Terroir". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  17. ^ Monaco, Emily (18 June 2018). "The end to a French cheese tradition?". BBC.
  18. ^ "The contribution of mountain pastures to the link to terroir in dairy and meat products" (PDF). Mountain Pastures and Livestock Farming Facing Uncertainty: Environmental,technical and Socio Economic Challenges. 2016. The secondary metabolites of the dicotyledonous plants found in mountain pastures like terpenoids or phenolic compounds are directly transferred to animal products
  19. ISBN 978-0-19-933090-4
    .
  20. ^ "Vidalia Onions Grown in Georgia". 7 CFR Part 955 – via LII / Legal Information Institute.
  21. ^ "History – Indian River Citrus League". ircitrusleague.org.

Further reading


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