Beyond Terroir: Understanding the Complexity of Wine Production

The paper discusses the impact of terroir on wine style, specifically focusing on the Chablis region. Terroir is a combination of internal and external factors that affect the taste and quality of wine. The paper suggests that wine producers and manufacturers should consider both nature (internal) and nurture (external) aspects to produce excellent varieties of wine. It also emphasizes the importance of controlling various internal and external factors in wine production, beyond just considering terroir.

Running Head: WINE DESIGN
WINE DESIGN
STUDENT NAME
NAME OF THE INSTITUTE

WINE DESIGN
Introduction
There are number of style and variants of wine with each variant with its own uniqueness.
The two key variants of wine are red wine and white wine. It is believed that environmental
conditions have a deep impact on wine. The climate and terroir are two variables that strongly
influence the production of wine and taste of wine. Across the globe there are various vineyards
that produces different style of wines. The main ingredient for the production of any wine is
grape and there could be different types of grapes based on the terroir. The objective of this
paper is to discuss the impact of terroir on wine styles. This paper would specifically focus on
Chablis region. The terroir has an influence on the production of various style of wine. Some
experts argue that terroir has a more profound impact on white wine as compared to red wine
(Moulard & Babin, 2015). This paper would discuss the influence of terroir in general without
discussing the intricacies of type of wine like white wine and red wine.
Analysis
The Chablis region is in Burgundy region in France. The climate of this region is cool as
compared to other regions where wine is produced. The warmer climates are the perfect for the
wine types Chardonnay. Whereas the winter climate of Chablis does not support the production
of wines like Chardonnay. The Chardonnay wines are less acidic and less fruity as compared to
the wines produced in Chablis. The wine produced in Chablis is known across the world for its
finest quality. There are people that like the wine produced in Chablis due to its unique
characteristics (Gonzalez & Parga-Dans, 2017). There are various manufactures and wine
producers in the Chablis region that would modify the grapes to blend it in the wine. The
grapevines around the town of Chablis make a dry white wine renowned for the purity of its
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aroma and taste. In comparison with the white wines from the rest of Burgundy, Chablis wine
has typically much less influence of oak.
Chone & Leeuwen (2017) argued that wine is a global drink and as such there are various
standards that define the global production of wine. At the same time, it is important to mention
that there are various regional preferences and local variables that affect the production of wine.
For the production of wine, the three key variables that together constitute the terroir can be
discussed as:
Climate: The climate refers to the climate of the environment. Some climates are moist and
some are damp. Based on the climatic conditions the wine variety could be different. It is
believed that the climate should be consistent for the perfect quality of wine. The frequent
changes in the external temperature can have a negative influence on the production of wine
(Chone & Leeuwen, 2017).
Soil: It would be correct to say that soil is one of the most important parameter that affects the
production of wine. The soil directly affects the quality of the grapes and likewise the quality of
wine is decided (Moulard & Babin, 2015).
Grape variety: The raw material or the basic ingredients for the production of wine is grape. In
most of the cases, the quality of wine is decided by the quality of grapes. Therefore, it would
make sense for wine producers and manufactures to get the best quality grapes from the market
(Moulard & Babin, 2015).
Knight & Klaere (2015) argued that wine is the end result of number of variables. It can
be said that wine is the end result of nature and nurture. The concept and the discussion of wine
arise in the nature part. However, the nature or the terroir part is directly linked with the nurture
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part also. The nature or the nurture alone cannot help to produce the excellent quality of wine.
Therefore, it is important to mention that manufacturers and wine producers should focus on
both the aspects of nature and nurtre. However, terroir remains one of the most intriguing and
perplexing challenges in the world of wine today, largely because what terroir encompasses is
not universally understood or accepted. It is also believed that different wine producing regions
in the world can have their own interpretation of terroir (Knight & Klaere, 2015). For example,
the definition of terroir for Chablis region could be different than the definition of terroir for any
other region in the world.
Skinner (2015 argued that the concepts of nature and nurture are difficult but important to
understand. The finest quality of wine in the world depends on the presence of perfect climate or
nature and adequate nurture. It is suggested that the wine producers and manufactures should
also think beyond terroir. In fact, terroir is important but only one part of wine production. For a
perfect wine, the manufacturers should think beyond terroir and try to control various internal
and external aspects of wine production (Skinner, 2015).
Greenspan (2016) argued that the concept of terroir in the wine production is both science
and art. There are various theories around the influence of terroir on the production of wine.
Some experts suggest that it is purely an art, as nature cannot be controlled. However, some
experts suggest that the influence of terroir should be considered as a science as people can
manage the production of wine through scientific algorithm and set standards. It is important to
mention that there are various set standards in the production of wine that should be followed.
There is no body at the global level that set the standards; however, there are various local
standards that should be followed (Greenspan, 2016). For example, the region of Chablis has
their own standards when it comes to type of raw materials, the temperature, fermentation, etc.
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These standards are not the hard guidelines that must be followed. However, these standards
should be considered as the soft guidelines that should be followed so that wine production is
effective. The terroir can have a great influence on the taste and quality of wine. It is also
important to mention that the entire concept of wine can go bad if the terroir is not used to
provide a controlled environment.
Conclusion
The above paper discusses the influence of terroir on wine style. The above paper
discusses the impact in general and the paper also discusses the influence for the Chablis region.
With the above discussion it can be said that there are various internal and external factors that
the wine producers and manufacturers should consider while deciding the types of wine that they
want to produce. The above paper also discusses the concept of nature and nurture with respect
to wine production. It would be correct to say that focus should be comprehensive on both the
aspects of nature and nurture so that excellent variety of wine could be produced. As a bottom-
line, it would be correct to say that the terroir should be adjusted so that a controlled environment
can be developed for the production of wine. The controlled environment would ensure that wine
of tastes the same. It would also ensure that a level of standardization is maintained when the
wine is produced.
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References
Chone, X., Van Leeuwen, C., Chery, P. H., & Ribéreau-Gayon, P. (2017). Terroir influence on
water status and nitrogen status of non-irrigated Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera).
Vegetative development, must and wine composition (example of a Medoc top estate
vineyard, Saint Julien area, Bordeaux, 1997). South African Journal of Enology and
Viticulture, 22(1), 8-15.
Gonzalez, P. A., Parga-Dans, E., & Vázquez, A. M. (2017). The political economy of wine: How
terroir and intra-sector dynamics affect land use in Spain. Land Use Policy, 66, 288-292.
Greenspan, M. (2016). Terroir and other myths of winegrowing: Mark Matthews generates some
controversy. Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker, (632), 36.
Knight, S., Klaere, S., Fedrizzi, B., & Goddard, M. R. (2015). Regional microbial signatures
positively correlate with differential wine phenotypes: evidence for a microbial aspect to
terroir. Scientific reports, 5.
Moulard, J., Babin, B. J., & Griffin, M. (2015). How aspects of a wine’s place affect consumers’
authenticity perceptions and purchase intentions: The role of country of origin and
technical terroir. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 27(1), 61-78.
Skinner, W. W. (2015). Fermenting place: wine production and terroir in McLaren Vale, South
Australia (Doctoral dissertation).
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