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32 W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 W I N E M A K I N G W ARNING: This column, normally about wine- making topics, is entirely devoted to grapegrow- ing. Worse, it makes fun of several long-cher- ished beliefs about grapes and their con- tribution to wine. But at least I do quote Glenn McGourty, another writer for this magazine and someone who actually does know a lot about grapes, to help with the demolition. The reason for straying from the wonders of enology is that I am working on a book about terroir (what wine writer isn't?). The idea is to include between one set of covers reprints and excerpts from all manner of folks, coming from all manner of angles, from romantic wine writers to soil scien- tists, from sensory analysts to marketeers. The aim of the collection is to defend the concept of terroir by clearing out the vast acreage of pre- and non-scientific under- brush that has grown up around it. (Things like the idea you can literally taste the vine- yard soil in your glass.) One long chapter will be devoted to viti- culture, which, weirdly enough, is largely absent from traditional terroir discussions, which focus on soil, maybe climate, and the imperative for winemakers to do as little as possible. What passes for viticul- tural wisdom in the old-fashioned terroir mindset is a series of platitudes about grapevines, mainly about aspects of grape- growing outside human control. Vines need deep roots (which they grow them- selves) to express terroir; vines need to be dry farmed (with whatever rainfall hap- pens to show up); vines have to be old (while you sit and wait), and so on. There is a lot of fatalism in this version of grape- growing; terroir just happens in special places, and the rocks get the credit. In fact, grapevines are not simply passive transmitters of earthly essences. This is a pre- scientific notion that leaves out the defining role of photosynthesis, the engine of plant growth and energy, the force behind flower- ing and fruiting and ripening and the manu- facture of aromatic and flavor compounds and precursors inside of grape berries. Ask the experts If the concept of terroir contains a kernel of truth—and I think it does—then the cramped vision of the role of grapevines in the tradi- tional account can't possibly be how it works. But as a winemaking guy, what do I know? So I thought I would ask a bunch of internationally known viticulture experts what they think. Over the course of a couple months, I traded emails with eight prominent research- ers: Richard Smart, international vineyard consultant and author of the influential Sun- light Into Wine; Cornelis Van Leeuwen, pro- fessor and researcher at the University of Bordeaux; Xavier Choné, Bordeaux-based international vineyard consultant; Markus In Search of Grapevines and Terroir Inquiring Winemaker Highlights • If the concept of terroir contains a kernel of truth, then the real role of grapevines in expressing a sense of place deserves a closer look. • The author asked noted international viticulturists to answer four questions about terroir. • Their straightforward answers help clear away the myths and misunderstandings about the taste of place in wine. T I M P A T T E R S O N University experts say vine balance is more important for wine quality than minimizing yields. Polara STudIo