Terroir
[1] Some artisanal crops and foods for which terroir may apply include wine, cheese, coffee, single malt whisky, onions, and tea.
[citation needed] Components often described as aspects of terroir include:[3] The interaction of climate and terroir is generally broken down from the macroclimate of a larger area (For example, the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy), down to the mesoclimate of a smaller subsection of that region (such as the village of Vosne-Romanée) and even to the individual microclimate of a particular vineyard or row of grapevines (like the Grand Cru vineyard of La Grande Rue).
[7] Geomorphology refers to natural landscape features like mountains, valleys and bodies of water, which affect how the climate interacts with the region, and includes the elements of aspect and elevation of the vineyard location.
[8][9] 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.
At the winery, the use of oak, cultured or ambient yeast, length of maceration and time in contact with lees, temperature during fermentation, and processes like micro-oxygenation, chaptalization, clarification with fining agents, and reverse osmosis all have the potential to either reduce or emphasize some aspect derived from the terroir.
[12] 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.
These systems have also developed into protected designation of origin across the European Union so that, for example, winemakers from outside a region like Tuscany can not produce a Sangiovese wine and call it a Chianti.
[13] 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.
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.
Producers of single malt whisky, bourbon, rum, and vodka use terroir elements in their production process, including wood flavors derived from barrel aging.
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.
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.
Last but not least, the specifications of the appellations forbid many products and techniques that are harmful to the environment, which means that the ecological virtues of ‘terroir’ farming are now a strong argument for its preservation, and even its expansion.
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.
Terroir recognition is a plot turning point in the 1976 French comedy L'aile ou la cuisse (The Wing or the Thigh) with Louis de Funès.
