Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2012 9 Ancient and recent construction of Terroirs 9 Everything else, it’s work ”Socio-cultural dimensions of terroir among Bordeaux winemakers

Everything else, it’s work ”Socio-cultural dimensions of terroir among Bordeaux winemakers

Abstract

In 2010, the OIV adopted a resolution that defines ‘terroir’. The OIV definition understands terroir as the result of the interactions between the physical specificities of a space and human labor, with an emphasis on the subsequently produced collective knowledge (OIV-VITI 333-2010); by doing so, it alludes to the social and cultural dimensions of terroir. On the basis of ethnographic fieldwork with winemakers in France and the United-States, our paper discusses some of these socio-cultural dimensions by focusing on specific vitivinicultural practices (pre- and post-harvest, such as irrigation, the use of fertilizers, fermentation, filtration, etc) and on the ways in which they intersect with winemakers’ conceptions and beliefs related to the space in which they work, to their profession, and to the good they produce, i.e. wine. This focus on meaningful practices, i.e. on the social and cultural dimensions of vitivinicultural practices, will help us understand the different dimensions of terroir, informed not only by science and technique, but also by the various (and often mixed) ways in which winemakers conceive of their professional activity.

Publication date: September 21, 2023

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Sarah DAYNES1,*, Terry WILLIAMS2

1 University of North Carolina Greensboro
2 New School for Social Research, New York

Contact the author

Keywords

Vitivinicultural practices, Bordeaux, Sociology

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Comparative studies on the dynamics of fermentation of selected wine yeasts

Alcoholic fermentation is an anaerobic biochemical process of oxidation-reduction in which carbohydrates are metabolized by the action of yeast enzymes in major products

Identifying wild Vitis riparia Michx clones as a source of rootstock to mitigate vigour and acclimation/deacclimation cycles of the scion

Grapevine rootstocks have traditionally been chosen in order to manage scion vigour, soil pests and soil conditions. Riparia Gloire de Montpellier (RGM) has been in use since the turn of the 19th century, over 100 years and still a remarkably stable source of phylloxera (Daktulosphaeria vitifoliae Fitch) resistance. The original source material was probably collected near the Missouri/Mississippi river confluence, a mid-continental but more southerly location in the United States. It has been hypothesized that more northerly selections of V. riparia Michx might improve both fall acclimation rate and depth of the scion, thus mitigating late fall frost and midwinter freeze damage.

Polysaccharides and glycerol production by non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts in mixed fermentation

A great variability in the amount of polysaccharides recovered at the end of fermentations carried out by pure cultures of 89 non-Saccharomyces yeasts was observed. The utilization of the best polysaccharides producers in mixed cultures with S. cerevisiae resulted in considerable increases in the final concentration of polysaccharides and showed a strain dependent effect on glycerol production as compared to pure culture of S. cerevisiae.

Effect of simulated shipping conditions on colour and SO2 evolution in soave wines

The shelf life of food is defined as the period in which the product will remain safe, is certain to retain desired sensory, chemical, physical, and microbiological characteristics

Terroir analysis and its complexity

Terroir is not only a geographical site, but it is a more complex concept able to express the “collective knowledge of the interactions” between the environment and the vines mediated through human action and “providing distinctive characteristics” to the final product (OIV 2010). It is often treated and accepted as a “black box”, in which the relationships between wine and its origin have not been clearly explained. Nevertheless, it is well known that terroir expression is strongly dependent on the physical environment, and in particular on the interaction between soil-plant and atmosphere system, which influences the grapevine responses, grapes composition and wine quality. The Terroir studying and mapping are based on viticultural zoning procedures, obtained with different levels of know-how, at different spatial and temporal scales, empiricism and complexity in the description of involved bio-physical processes, and integrating or not the multidisciplinary nature of the terroir. The scientific understanding of the mechanisms ruling both the vineyard variability and the quality of grapes is one of the most important scientific focuses of terroir research. In fact, this know-how is crucial for supporting the analysis of climate change impacts on terroir resilience, identifying new promised lands for viticulture, and driving vineyard management toward a target oenological goal. In this contribution, an overview of the last findings in terroir studies and approaches will be shown with special attention to the terroir resilience analysis to climate change, facing the use and abuse of terroir concept and new technology able to support it and identifying the terroir zones.