This summer, I drove across France. From Paris to the Swiss border, 
to Normandy, or 
through Burgundy 
and in the Bordelais, beautiful! With the help of my oenology course, I wondered yet again about terroir.
Terroir, which is sometimes mistakenly translated as soil, or land, or earth, is defined different factors such as
> the climate: the temperature, the amount of rain, the amount of sunlight;
Terroir, which is sometimes mistakenly translated as soil, or land, or earth, is defined different factors such as
> the climate: the temperature, the amount of rain, the amount of sunlight;
> the topography, that is the altitude, the slope, the way the rain water is drained ... ; and
> the geology or the properties of the soil, the availability of different natural products in the soil, its quality, the fact that water is drained quickly or not ..
All of which will give wine its unique character!
But what's really wonderful is that a terroir ought to have a plant associated with it, a piece of land by itself is not sufficient to define a terroir. The French say that the plant "expresses" the terroir, translating the different characteristics of a given piece on land into something with its own character. The plant reveals the terroir, that is why different areas grow different types of grapes.
The official definition is "An area of land, with a name and precise boundaries, whose geographical configuration and climate allow those who work on it to create specific products".
Many voices raise to say that terroir is a bluff!
But I wonder ... at a time when the idea that the origin of coffee .. or chocolate ... gives the final product, what you savor in your cup or the pleasure of a certain piece of chocolate in your mouth, a specificity, why would that be denied to wine! If you prefer a Guatemala in your cup, or a Peru chocolate .. then you are ready try the many different French wine terroirs and enjoy them!
All of which will give wine its unique character!
But what's really wonderful is that a terroir ought to have a plant associated with it, a piece of land by itself is not sufficient to define a terroir. The French say that the plant "expresses" the terroir, translating the different characteristics of a given piece on land into something with its own character. The plant reveals the terroir, that is why different areas grow different types of grapes.
The official definition is "An area of land, with a name and precise boundaries, whose geographical configuration and climate allow those who work on it to create specific products".
Many voices raise to say that terroir is a bluff!
But I wonder ... at a time when the idea that the origin of coffee .. or chocolate ... gives the final product, what you savor in your cup or the pleasure of a certain piece of chocolate in your mouth, a specificity, why would that be denied to wine! If you prefer a Guatemala in your cup, or a Peru chocolate .. then you are ready try the many different French wine terroirs and enjoy them!
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