Notes from a (recovering) terroir Junkie, by Rich Collins, Thirst Productions.
I’ll admit, I am enthralled with the more romantic aspects of wine, the pop of a (real) cork, the taste, the swirl, the experience of wine. Terroir is just another romanticized component of the wine experience that has become an interesting topic of sorts these days.
Haven’t heard of the T-word? It’s possible, though the terroir idea is explored more frequently these days in the media and ‘wine films’ that have become loveable crusades for better quality (and terroir driven) wine. The terroir concept has sparked one of the most influential changes in the modern wine industry, debating the question - what is most important - allowing the grapes to create the wine, with man serving only as a steward to the environment? or ‘to hell with nature, let man control the whole thing.’ There is still a strong representation on both sides, and to be honest, both sides are producing great (though somewhat different) wines.
So what exactly is terroir, anyhow?
Terroir, as I see it, is loosely described as the sum of all environmental influences that lead to the biological development of a particular grapevine (and ultimately a particular wine). The sun, climate, and soil composition, even human and regional culture all have an effect on the vine’s development. A huge shade tree overlooking a patch of vines? Terroir. The fact that phylloxera has lead to the use of grafted rootstocks? Terroir. The water table beneath a particular patch of vine? Terroir.
Toss in the rainfall, topography, chemical interventions (or lack thereof), longitude, latitude, shade cover, fertilizers (natural or not), air temperature, and even wind patterns and you get the big picture. You name it, if it affects a vine at any point; it has a hand in developing the terroir of that vine. Purists will argue that it’s the sun, the air and the soil only, but I believe it’s much more than just the natural environment of the vine.
Terroir is a concept once held sacred (mostly by the French) that is now no longer thought to be the steadfast ideal it once was. Sort of. Terroir is still the foundation of the French ‘AC’ system, where wine is produced and labeled according to where the grapes were grown (Burgundy) as opposed to the new world varietal labeling (Pinot Noir). Italy often follows suit with it’s fabulous Barolos and Barbarescos (Nebbiolo being the grape), but you see more and more straight Pinot Grigio and Merlot on the shelves in an efforts to compete for a global, varietal driven market. Yet simultaneously in the wine world places like the US and Australia, which previously focused on varietal packaging, clone selections, and technical vineyard magic have started to shift their perspectives and focus on the soul of the land and the vine, returning to the concept of terroir themselves (Stags Leap District & Howell Mountain, Napa). Thus you see opposing viewpoints across all fronts, which is why wine is so darn interesting!
So which view do you subscribe to?
Concept 1: The Market Rules the Vine (and the Wine)
Being a market driven economy, with wine a nice slice of the food and beverage pie, the goal for most wineries is quite simple: Produce wine that*most* people like - and sell lots of it - for profit.
The more people like something, the more they buy, the more money producers make, the more expensive it becomes, and the more Provencal vacations winemakers can have to do ‘research’. This is where you get into the mainstream wines that appear on every mediocre wine list across America. (I’m not necessarily knocking the wines, as their popularity speaks for itself, but I doubt these wines have a strong influence by terroir).
The key to this type of wine is maintaining consistency from year to year and creating a flavor that doesn’t change (think Coca Cola). One cannot rely on nature with this type of outlook on wine production. The mass quantity of juice produced alone inhibits the concept ‘ grapes are often bought and trucked in from all over to assure a perfect blend. Then the wines are crafted under strict environmental conditions (as in a laboratory) to produce the same wine year after year.
Thus, the key to profit for many is to make the best wines using whatever mechanical and chemical means you can to ensure consistency among a branded item (KJ Chardonnay - always a winner if you like KJ Chardonnay).
So here’s where it gets interesting.
Some producers are leveraging modern technological advances in wine by outsourcing their winemaking to a company based out of California (where else) that has developed a software system to estimate (and improve) ratings scores for wines in the major trade mags to further the hand of man in winemaking. How do they do it? They analyze the wines that have scored well in the past and using what I assume to be a complex system of algorithms and chemical analyses, work with winemakers to improve their wine scores, thus increasing demand, thus increasing price, thus securing accolades and gross profits. How is this change in the wine achieved? Any way possible - from concentrating wines to using centrifuges, to acidifying, to concentrating, whatever it takes to increase that Parker score.
Not so romantic is it? But a fact of wine life.
Concept 2: Nature Rules the Vine (and the Wine)
This is the dreamy, starry eyed concept that is surprisingly gaining steam in the winemaking world (but has long been the ideal in old world wineries). Letting the grapes, the climate, and nature have a hand in the wine creates a more interesting, unique and exciting product - partly because you never know what you are getting!
However, though the concept sounds terrific, if you allow nature to create the wine, and your influence is minimal, your wine might suck. It happens - some years are good, some bad, some outstanding. Though you serve as a steward to the environment and an extension of the Hand of God, no one buys your juice because it tastes like horse hair, you go bankrupt, and a McMansion is built on your vineyard as you take a job as a maid cleaning the new house on your old vineyard.
Or something extraordinary may happen, you may produce top notch wines (like French Burgundy or Bordeaux) sticking to the principles of terroir and overly affluent folks will buy the wine for extremely inflated prices, buying on name recognition and Parker reviews, making you rich and famous and touting the benefits of your terroir - without using computer programs and chemically altering components of your wine. Ahhh, success!
However it doesn’t often happen this way, it just isn’t that easy. Organic wines are difficult to make, expensive, and inconsistent from year to year (and even bottle to bottle in some cases) Most folks, especially Americans, are turned off by inconsistency, thus seen in the proliferation of mediocre chain restaurants that provide consistent products that can be considered as food.
So what’s my take on it?
I waver from being in love with the concept to seeing it as superfluous and outdated - my opinion usually depending on the quality of the wine and the mood I am in. But I admit, when the concept was first introduced to me, I was sold. It just made sense. But the more I learn about wine, the more I feel there is so much more to modern winemaking than just the land and the vine.
And what can we, the wine consumers do to support our particular take on the theory?
Buy wine of course!
We as consumers with an educated palate and a handful of cash ultimately must answer the question of the where the future of winemaking is headed by exercising our wallets - keep buying that cheap stuff with Koalas on the label to save a buck and some of our more exclusive wines will slowly disappear. Keep buying that expensive stuff and the wine estates get greedy while you go broke. Keep buying all organic biodynamic wines and you are sure to drink a lot of wines with ‘the nasties.’ People have to realize that their purchasing power is just that - a power - and we need to strike a balance.
So for those of you appreciate the philosophical side of this little debate and would like to experience the effect a winemaker can have first hand, I encourage you locate (if you can, Julia’s wines were wiped out in the warehouse fires) the Tres Sabores Gift set (www.tressabores.com) Three wines made with identical grapes, though each winemaker interprets the wine differently. It’s an amazing little concept and a pleasure to experience.
Rich Collins,
Thirst Productions
www.thirstproductions.com
