Word: terroir
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...Defense of Wine?s TerroirIn ?Fifty States of Wine,? we have more underinformed pabulum [Sept. 8]. I am no snob, but I expect what?s in the bottle to accurately reflect the wine?s place of origin, traditions, agricultural history and, yes, terroir, which describes all of the preceding. Neither Joel Stein nor Fred Franzia has enough understanding of the subject to speak of it intelligently and should not be relied on to teach curious readers. David Moore, Moore Brothers Wine Co. Pennsauken, New Jersey...
...Stein the wine writer apparently finds it acceptable to use ?good? as the primary descriptor of wine. In his attempt at discussing terroir, he lost all credibility with serious wine enthusiasts. Perhaps he should drink out of the spit bucket more often, as it seems to be to his taste. Katherine Dozier, Washington...
...attempt to debunk terroir was more difficult than I had anticipated. Though all 50 states make wine (ever since North Dakota joined the pack in 2002), it's not so easy to get a bottle from each state. Most wines are sold only locally, and Alaska won't even ship its product, which is made from grapes from other states. So if you try to duplicate this project, know that it's best undertaken slowly while traveling around the country--or during the summer, when you have a lot of interns...
...reviewing somewhat randomly selected bottles priced around $15 to $20, I learned a few general truths. White is easier to make than red. Wines made at golf courses are not good. And the importance of terroir is definitely questionable, since no region of the country seems ill suited for winemaking except the Deep South, all of which I think Sherman salted. Though I didn't touch the dirt on these vineyards, my impression is that it's more a matter of finding the right grape for your climate. (Michigan's riesling was one of my favorites...
...Chambourcin is being used on the East Coast to make weird, interesting reds. And I loved the Midwest's big, tannic Norton grape. I had a dark red grape called Marechal Foch from Pennsylvania that was really different. After all this, though, I still don't know if terroir matters. It could be that the South's muscadine grape is inherently horrifying or just that people who drink sweet tea should not make wine...