Terroir

In my class "The World of Wine", we have been discussing the notion of "terroir". While there is no direct translation in English, it is considered to mean "a sense of place". Without going in to too many details, the term is used to describe the effects of the environment on the grapes (climate, topography, soil type, weather). The concept lies at the heart of the French wine industry. As wikipedia can explain, "The concept 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 Pinot noir that happens to be grown in Burgundy, but that they are producing unique Burgundian wines that happen to be made from Pinot noir." So for instance, Champagne is not the same thing as sparkling white wine. For a bottle to be labeled Champagne it must come from the Champagne region of France (the case is the same for Cognac, Bordeaux, Port, etc.)

The concept of terroir is highly debated, many people think that this is a mythical term unfairly used to maintain the success of French wines.

Exhibit A:


These two seemingly similar bottles of wine have a price difference of over $500. The only difference being the year in which they were produced. In addition, according to wine experts 2004 produced "above-average" Bordeaux, while 2005 produced "Extrordinary" Bordeaux, the finest in nearly a decade. While I originally labeled this sort of thinking as pretentious, I really respect this appreciation of wine. While it is easy to diss people for spending $3000 on a bottle of wine, these people will swear by the greatness of a certain vintage, describing it as if it was a religious experience.

For now, I'll stick to my 1 euro bottle of Bordeaux. But I have to say that despite the price, i can say for certain that the bottle contains "great" wine. The wine is quaffing, balanced, lively, and velvety. One will notice the aroma of raspberry, green bell pepper, leather, pencil shavings, and tobacco.

Ok...maybe this whole French wine thing is a bit pretentious.