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Wine terroirs: the challenge on the wine world

Andes Wines Communications investigated the concept of "terroir", which is one of the essential factors of explanation of the quality and the personality of the high-class wines. Studied in the Middle Ages by Monks, sought by the large modern producers, argument of Marketing for wine sellers, etc; this "identity card" of tradition, folklore and, sometimes, even playing the role of quality certificate, is the friend of the producer and the oenologist, the piece of history that goes with each bottle and the possible explanation of the miracle that you taste.

But the terroir is much more than all that and AndesWines contacted Pedro Parra Emilfork Master in Agronomic Information Systems, Dr. INA of Paris-Grignon and François Massoc Larrain, Oenologist, Master CIVS, that explained us better this matter.

History

The Hachette guide of the wines of France defines it as: "The concept of wine terroir can be perceived like an ecosystem resulting from the association, in a given place, of a type of ground, a topography, a basement, a climate, a plant (rootstock and type of vine) and of the person. "

It is significant also to consider the person, because the personal, historical and commercial elements wrote the history of the terroir.

For example the existence of the Bordeaux port and its strong activity within England and the Scandinavian countries encouraged in the XVII century, the wine growers of the area to improve the quality of their production, therefore to seek the best grounds and best type of vines, also to improve the techniques of wine making, conservation and conditioning.

It is this combination of factors which will lead the wine to become the expression of a terroir.

The best example, in our opinion, of identity of terroir is in Burgundy. Indeed, the soils of Burgundy started to be explored, experienced and to be studied by Cistercians monks before the end of the first millennium of our era. As their ration of wine was limited to a one “hemine” (a third of liter) per day, they sought the means of trying to create a maximum of pleasure with this quantity of wine. Thus they started to follow the best conditions more attentively, to choose the best vines and to improve their techniques of wine making.

The concept of a terroir wine

The word terroir can be regarded as complex. Indeed, it can be perceived in a different way by people according to their origin: does the word terroir have the same meaning in France as in Australia? And according to their point of view: does the terroir have the same meaning for a geologist, climatologist, oenologist or sociologist?

Historically, professor Mario Fregoni (2002) placed this word in relation to the Latin words "locus" or "loci", defined like a place having the "intelligence" intended for the production of a product of excellent quality. Dr. Emanuelle Vaudour, French specialist in wine terroir (2002), defines it as a French word with Latin origin "territorium", whose definition often presents ambiguous concepts. It is, indeed, a word with a long history, but which for a few years has taken a world wide following fashion or world tendency directed with the research of single and different products. The dictionary "Petit Larousse" defines the terroir as "a ground considered under the definition of the agricultural production" while the “Robert” dictionary defines it as "wide limited enough ground considered from the point of view of its qualities or its agricultural aptitudes".

The terroir today

Today, the concept of terroir is on vogue. Everyone speaks about his "wine of terroir", and yet, the terroir is associated to the history.

Can we speak about terroirs if there is no history? Can we buy history by the means of science?

The countries of the new world chose this step, because their wine history is too recent.

The studies of the wine terroir are launched from now on! Today there are even world congresses in wine terroir (this year is in South Africa)! If that is the case, then it is the scientific concept of terroir which interests this article and in this context, the definitions of terroir remains rare.

There are not many scientific definitions on this subject suggested. The most current definition is probably the one proposed by Dr. Morlat, considered by his fellow-members as the "father" of the concept of scientific terroir, who defines the wine terroir as "the smallest surface of vineyard usable in practice and in which the response of the vine is reproducible through the wine ".

Usually associated to geology, edafology and climatology, the concept of terroir must be necessarily associated with the concept of geographical limit. For example, La Romanée Conti, would the wine of the most known terroir in the world be the same one on a surface of 280 ha (like some vineyards of the new world....) instead of its 3,6 ha?

No! There are its limits, clear and precise, and marked geological faults and slopes which makes this “Gran Cru” a myth.

The qualitative and historical factors play a significant role in the concept of terroir of a high-class wine; for example with Château Haut Brion, classified “Grand Cru” (Great Vintage) of the Gironde in 1855, it was also classified in 1973 in the classification concerning the Médoc. The verbal lawsuit of the meeting precise: "the jury considered the situation of the Château Haut Brion assimilated by a very old tradition to the “Premiers Crus” of the Médoc. Looking at this tradition, habits and the use on the handwork, and its same eminent qualities on the other hand, it believed to have to make it appear by assimilation among the “Premiers Crus Classés” of Médoc. "

Thus, the procedures of the geographical delimitation concern a space problem and thus, to be developed, a soil must spatially be limited and recognizable. Dr. Vaudour since the publication of her thesis in Paris is one of the first with her "space" movement of the terroir, proposes a definition which analyzes the wine terroir according to its space organization: "space and temporal entity showing homogeneous or dominant characteristics grape and/or wine, of edafologic landscape and climate, associated to a level of space organization and one duration given, within a territory marked by one society and of the farming choices ".

If we analyze the context of the terroir in the world, this definition is debatable within a framework out of France, and in particular in a context of the new world. Indeed, the concept of terroir as "a territory marked by one society and of the farming choices ", and the question if this concept is not perceived, and if ever it is perceived, is it perceived by the consumers of the new world? The current vineyards of the new world in their majority have a history and a society which hardly exceed the 200 years and for the majority not even the 50 years, in most cases the farming choices used are permissive and are likely to modify the "homogeneous or dominant characteristics of grapes and/or wines ".

Indeed, if the position of some vine growers of the new world does not cease advancing towards simplistic studies of soils, and the weakness of its historical assets are capable to cause criticisms compared to the origin and the identity of the wine as to the existence of terroirs. Paradoxically an increasing demand is currently felt for studies of terroirs. Some consultant companies produce charts resulting from the agriculture of precision and cartographies of vigor from the satellites. The link between ground, wine control and response of the vine is not established and thus these results can induce the vine grower in error.

We can find also honest vine growers, passionate and in love with their vine and their wine… it is they who are the hope of true wines of terroir from the new world. These viticulturist use serious studies of terroir, over several years, to confirm their feeling to be unique, feelings acquired during years of culture of these fields and wine making of the grapes coming from small ground portions that nothing more than their experience knew how to differentiate. Others without having planted a single vine seek to find in big areas, the small piece with single characteristics which will enable them to develop with these origins, a project with solid bases of identity. Their goal is to prove that they have in these unique terroir, differentiating elements that enable them to certify an identity which will enable them to build their own true history. None of them can say that its terroir is better than another, for the moment they can only affirm that they have a terroir and a product that is unique, different from the others.

The wines resulting from the long tradition terroirs are not necessarily the best wines in the world. The best wines of the world must be chosen by each person, after a personal selection and independent of "Gurus" who are inflated sometimes by a too great publicity; that makes them quickly forget their true work as humble guides or specialized critics.

A wine of the new world, resulting also from a single terroir, but with a more recent history; can transform itself into a high-class wine if it offers a remarkable quality and a coherence in its criteria of production. It should never be forgotten that the most significance in a wine, is in the bottle. It is the wine the true Master, the King… its history and its origin, its terroir… are the consequence, and the logical explanation of its quality.

The greatest wine terroir of the world will sooner or later be discovered, and they will live for ever.

In France, the majority of them were discovered and most of them confirmed. The terroirs in the rest of the world are to be studied; time will confirm them in identity and quality.

It is you, the consumers, who will have to seek and to decide which the best wines of terroir are.

By Pedro Parra Emilfork Master in Agronomic Information Systems, Dr. INA of Paris-Grignon and François Massoc Larrain, Oenologist, Master CIVS, that explained us better this matter.

Andes Wines Communications

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