Steve Calderwood's - "From the Grapevine"
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Who's Poking Sharp Sticks in Their Own Eyes?

By Steve Calderwood

All over the vineyards of Bordeaux and the farms of Burgundy, Frenchmen are mad at what's going on in the United States.

What could be causing such a reaction in this normally placid race of people? Well, some American scientists are scoffing at the French concept of "terroir."

"Terroir? What the heck is terroir?" I hear you saying. Believe me, if I were to go into full detail on it, this would be the last full sentence of this column you'd be reading.

Terroir, simply put, is the sum of everything that can affect a grape in a particular vineyard.

Karen MacNeil in "The Wine Bible" states, "Terroir is a French term for the sum entity and effect (no single word exists in English) of a vineyard's soil, slope, orientation to the sun, and elevation, plus every nuance of climate: rainfall, wind velocity, frequency of fog, cumulative hours of sunshine, average high temperatures, average low temperatures, and so on. Each vineyard has its own terroir."

When you think about this, it makes some sense. All of these factors must contribute to the grape's development. But some scientists are saying, "Not so fast."

Why is this concept so important to the French? Why are they poking sharp sticks in their eyes? The short answer is -- money, of course.

Terroir is the basis for the Vins d'Appellation d'Origine ContrÃ¥lée, or AOC. This is the French system that defines geographical boundaries, grape yields, grape varietal percentages and just about everything else that can occur/exist in a vineyard.

But probably the most limiting factor is the geological boundaries. If you go back to Karen's description above, the first word is "soil" and this is why the French believe no wine can compare to a Chateau Latour. It's also why you'll have to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for a bottle of Chateau Lafitte-Rothschild or a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. You can't make wines as wonderful as these anywhere else (not even across the road) because of the terroir and especially the soil.

But those darned Americans keep trying to throw a stick in the wheel of the French bicycle. How do they do it? The science thing. According to a recent AP report, scientists who met in Portland this week for the annual Geological Society of America conference say much of that taste may be imagined.

The geologists say wines vary in levels of dissolved minerals but those variations aren't related to the levels in vineyard soil. And they say the concentration of minerals in wine is below the threshold of human taste and smell.

"I am not saying that chemistry and geology have no effect on the wine," said geologist Alex Maltman. "It may have effects that we don't understand. But whatever 'minerality' in wine is, it is not the taste of vineyard minerals."

So there, terroir is just a bunch of brouhaha. Here, have a pointy stick, you know where to put it.

Now, on to our local wine events.

On Nov. 4, from 5:30 to 7:30, p.m., the Historic Cigar Alley is holding a fundraiser for the Gato Village Pocket Park at the pocket park behind the First State Bank on Simonton at Louisa Street. The cost is $10 and includes a wine tasting and a cigar. If you don't like cigars, just give it to me.

Next up on Nov. 11, starting at 6:30 p.m., Azur is going to have its next wine dinner. This one is "The Cutting Edge of Spain." Six wines and six courses, all for $65. It will sell out fast, so call 292-2987 to reserve your seats.

On Nov. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., Conch Republic Liquors is having a free tasting of Girard wines. I just tasted the line and they are delicious and very well priced. Lou will be running sale prices on the wines and Tasters Guild members get a special discount.

Next is for you folks up the Keys. It's the Rotary's Wine on the Water grand tasting on Nov. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. It will be at the Islander Resort and features 30 to 45 different wineries. Entry costs $45. More info at 394-0722.

An event dear to my heart is on Nov. 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Grand Key Resort. It's the annual Sunrise Rotary Wining for the Animals wine tasting to benefit the SPCA. Cost is $20; tickets can be purchased by calling Bill at 294-3297, Historic Cigar Alley at 294-2224 or at the door. It's for the little abandoned or abused puppies and kitties; if you have any heart, you'll be there.

Finally, Upstairs at Louie's is kicking off the new season with their first Art, Wine & Water series on Nov. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. It will feature wines from Stacole Fine Wines, Noble Wine Estates, Southern Wine & Spirits and Premier Beverage; also, Stone Soup Gallery will be displaying works of art by Cuban artists. The cost is $15 and includes the wine tasting, art show and appetizers by Doug Shook. All the wines will be available for purchase at discounted prices.

That's it for this week, so until next time -- wine a bit, you'll feel better.