Seminar 4

Question 1

How would you define terroir?

Answer 1

A sense of place.

Question 2

Why did Californians and Australians reject the notion of terroir? Are they really adverse to the idea?

Answer 2

They traditionally valued experimentation. It was only once they established AVAs and defined regions did they see the importance in terroir.

Question 3

What makes hybrids attractive?

Answer 3

Disease resistance and more fruit production.

Question 4

Why did growers of Chambolle-Musigny remove their ‘Chambole Musigny thanks nature” sign?

Answer 4

Because it implies terroir is only about nature, but in reality you need to take into consideration the human interactions and interventions.

Question 5

Why is the concept of terroir not easily grasped?

Answer 5

It’s a marketing term. Not used in Burgundy till the 1950s.

There is more to terroir than just site, soil, type, drainage,etc.

Other factors to consider: density, cultivar clone, rootstock variations, trellising, training systems, canopy management, yield level, vintage date, how wine is treated in the cellar.

Question 6

Why would terroir not exist without humans?

Answer 6

Importance of the human factor: without people, there wouldn’t be terroir. For example Bordeaux and the draining of the marshy lands.

Question 7

What does the notion of typicity imply?

Answer 7

Expectations of consumers based on experiences of previous tasting. Can prose a challenge today because of climate change, vintages are changing and not always “typically”.

Question 8

What is the difference between macroclimate, mesoclimate, and microclimate?

Answer 8

Macroclimate: the wine region

Mesoclimate: the village

Microclimate: the vineyard/climat/plot

Question 9

What role do the weather conditions play in the characteristics of a vintage?

Answer 9

It’s fundamental. Main criteria on how wine is judged.

Question 10

Does soil determine the characteristics of a wine?

Answer 10

Yes, sort of. texture, depth, water reserves are major factors. BUT there is no precise correlation between the chemical composition of the soil and the quality of the wine.

Question 11

What soils are suitable for viticulture?

Answer 11

All types. Clay-limestone-schist-slate-granite, etc. Needs good drainage, no big boulders or rocks in subsoil.

Question 12

Why is the subsoil fundamental to the quality of a wine?

Answer 12

Nutrients and water retention. Much of the richness of a fine wine is drawn from the right sort of subsoil by the deeply thrusting roots of the mature vines.

Question 13

Why is drainage important?

Answer 13

Don’t

Question 14

How should growers choose their rootstocks?

Answer 14

The rootstock should be adapted for soil and adapted for vigour, disease resistance.

Question 15

What makes hybrids attractive?

Answer 15

Disease resistance, usually more fruit production.

Question 16

Why were hybrids prohibited in France as of 1935?

Answer 16

They alleged caused you to go mad. Lower quality wines with lots o foxy aromas.

Question 17

What are threads to terroir as you know?

Answer 17

Urbanization

Question 18

What is the difference between the Catholic and the protestant approach to viticulture?

Answer 18

CATHOLIC: (Europe) values terroir, art, culture, history, tradition, AOCs. Terroir is a symbol of diversity and keeps a part of mystery.

PROTESTANT : (anglo-saxons, new world) values technique, cultivar, brand, trade, marketing, simplicity, research, and innovation.

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Question 19

What problems do ordinary consumers face with AOCs?

Answer 19

It’s not clear to them.

Question 20

What do critics call “technological wines”?

Answer 20

A wine produced by vinification where human intervention masks its intrinsic character.

Question 21

Can a winegrower still settle for being a grape farmer?

Question 22

What role did chemistry play in the post WW2 period? What were the long term effects of this?

Answer 22

Killed the soil but encouraging the over spraying with pestides for pest management without understanding the long term effects.

Question 23

Should soil adapt to vines?

Answer 23

No, vines should adapt to soil! Otherwise you risk killing the soil.

Question 24

What is the difference between Pasteur’s and Claude Bernad’s view of germs?

Answer 24

Pasteur: germaphobe, “Germs are the enemy”
Bernad: “The germs are nothing, environment is everything”

Stregthen the environment is more important, germs are just a part of life.

Question 25

What would happen if earthworms disappered?

Answer 25

It would be terrible for the vines.

1.) O2 will no longer circulate in the galleries.

2.) Nitrogen will turn into ammonia, which poisons the roots.

3.) Sulphur will turn into H2S and intoxicate the vines.

4.) 02 enables the roots to breathe and bacteria to feed the roots.

Question 26

What are the principles of sustainable viticulture?

Answer 26

Respecting the sense of place.
Fault Free
Naturally made wines
Environmentally Sensitive

Question 27

What is the idea behind Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

Answer 27

Use natural predators wherever possible.

Identify what causes the problem. Monitor the situation (usually the weather) to know where the problem is likely to arise.

Take timely preventive measures instead of more costly corrective measures.

Use cover crops in the middle of rows. These raise the levels of naturally occurring predators and help prevent soil erosion on sloping sites.

Question 28

Are chemicals prohibited in organic viticulture?

Answer 28

No, they allow copper and sulphur

Question 29

What are the main principles of biodynamy?

Answer 29

probably won’t have a question on this on exam

Farming according to the moon cycles, without pestides.

“Part science, part woo-woo.” - Claude

“biodynamics creates the conditions for optimal soil, plant, and animal health, providing balanced nutrition and supporting healthy immunity”

Question 30

What are the pros and cons of natural wine?

Answer 30

Pros: fresher, better tastings
Cons: unstable, unable to age

Question 31

Why are organic wines more expensive than the other wines?

Answer 31

Production costs are higher. Also have to pay for the certification and the use of the sticker.

Question 32

Should consumers worry about pesticide residues in wine?

Answer 32

No, there are more pesticide residue in lettuce.