This week’s Wine Word of the Week is Terroir and was suggested by Leah Yablong of West Palm Beach, FL. Thanks for the suggestion, Leah!
“Terroir” is a French term which, loosely translated, means “a sense of place.” It is used to refer to products such as cheese, meat, coffee and wine that reflect or represent qualities unique to a specific geographic location. With respect to wine, terroir refers to the intersection of grape variety, soil type, climate and winemaking technique which come together to create a wine that, theoretically, cannot be produced anywhere else in the world. The art of blind tasting is based on the concept that wines look, taste and smell a certain way depending on where they are produced. So, if a wine is said to express terroir, the wine is believed to represent where it comes from and is considered a “wine of place.”
It is important to note the concept of terroir has special significance in Old World wine regions (i.e. France, Italy, Germany) where wine has been produced since approximately the fourth century. Winemakers in these storied regions have been tasked with upholding and preserving the vinous traditions of their ancestors by relying on their wisdom, keen observations and tried and true techniques which have been passed down from generation to generation. New World wine regions (i.e. the United States, South America, Australia), on the other hand, have only been making wine since approximately the sixteenth century, often using vine cuttings and winemaking techniques from the Old World. By simple virtue of time, New World wine regions don’t yet have the experience with their geography that Old World regions do. Today, the evolution of terroir in the New World continues to be an exciting and dynamic process.
Thanks again for your suggestion, Leah, and I hope that helps! If you (yes, YOU) would like to suggest a word for our Wine Word of the Week segment, please leave it in the comment section below or on our Facebook Fan Page which you can access by clicking here. If we use your word, your name will be entered into our monthly drawing to win one month of The Wine Atelier’s “Explorateur” Wine Club but remember – you have to play to win so make your suggestion now!
Cheers,
Sorry to interrupt my series on Camp Schramsberg but I just wanted to let you wonderful wine lovers know about a little giveaway we’re doing this week.
As many of you already know, next Wednesday, October 16th we’re kicking off “The Art of Wine” series at The Boca Raton Museum of Art and this week I’m happy to report we’ll be giving away two tickets to Wednesday’s event – an $80 value! A winner will be selected at random and announced this Sunday, October 13th at 5pm on our Facebook page. Please continue reading to find out how to enter.
Each month from October through March “The Art of Wine” will feature fabulous wines paired with the museum’s permanent collections. Next Wednesday’s event entitled “Southwestern Allure” will feature the wines of Gruet Winery in New Mexico paired with the art of the Santa Fe Art Colony. Gruet has become very well known for producing delicious, award winning sparkling wines. Their Blanc de Noirs was featured as wine #43 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year! They also make delicious still wines and on Wednesday you’ll have the opportunity to taste a variety of Gruet’s offerings paired with delicious cheeses from The Cheese Course, our culinary sponsor for the season. Wine, art & cheese – what’s not to love about that? As if that weren’t enough, following the tasting you’ll be able to enjoy a curated tour of the exhibition given by Marisa Pascucci, Curator of 20th Century and Contemporary Art.
To enter to win two tickets to the tasting, simply tell me what wine region you’d like to learn more about in the comment section below. Whether it’s Greece, Sicily, or even Virginia – you tell me! Each suggestion counts as one chance to win and to get another chance, click on over to our Facebook page by clicking here and give us a “like.” You must first enter your comment below though. A winner will be drawn at random on Sunday, October 13th at 5pm and announced on our Facebook page. Best of luck and hope to see you on Wednesday for our inaugural event. For more information on “The Art of Wine” and/or to purchase tickets, please click here.
Cheers,
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