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March 2016 WINES&VINES 33 GRAPEGROWING termine wine quality; 2) Vine bal- ance is the key to fine wine grapes; 3) Critical ripening period and the stressed vine; and 4) The terroir ex- planation. He saved the best for last. It is important that the reader start by reading the preface. I often skip this section, but I do not recommend it for Terroir and Other Myths because the author clearly describes why he wrote the book and whom he wrote it for, which is growers, winemakers and wine consumers. He also sets the scene by noting that "the models of wine quality are cultural and ephemeral, but plant interactions with the environment are not." He hopes the book will free growers, winemakers and wine consumers to think differently about "where, how and how much to produce." The first myth Matthews tackles is that high yields make low-quality wine and vice versa. He points out that research into the effects of yield on wine sensory attributes was initi- ated at UC Davis long after this myth was established. He discusses the sub-myths and facts related to im- portant cultural practices like prun- ing and cluster thinning as well as irrigation. He also has a section about berry size. The next myth to be addressed is that vine balance is the key to fine wine grapes and therefore fine wines. He presents a detailed discus- sion of pruning and whether vines become "exhausted" if they overpro- duce and suffer damage or death. (The answer is no.) He notes that vines can live happily and produce fruit with no pruning, and that re- search and experience with minimal pruning has shown that pruning does not necessarily regulate crop load as much as keep the vine in a farm-manageable shape. He dis- cusses in detail the idea of vine bal- ance, where it came from and what science says about it. He also reviews the critical ripen- ing period and stressed vines, point- ing out that we don't know what stress means when it comes to light and temperature. At this point, he tackles the "irrigation is bad" myth, along with mineral nutrition and fruit and light exposure. He ends the chapter observing the choice of har- vest date has more to do with wine style than wine quality. The last myth to be dealt with is terroir. Matthews wisely points out that one needs to have a conversa- tion about what terroir is before discussing its role in winegrowing. There are so many interesting points made, but to cover them all would be to present the whole chapter. Here are just a few to tantalize you: • The word terroir was not used much in relation to wine until the 1980s. • The Old World emphasizes the appellation (location), while the New World empha- sizes the variety. • The rise in use of the terroir concept can be traced to pe- riods when economic viabil- ity of French winegrowers was threatened. The epilogue distills the con- tents of the book into some great thoughts. One is a response to the quote, "This wine is great and has long been known to be great; therefore grapes should be grown as they are in that vineyard." Mat- thews concludes this is "tradition without thought, about both what the grapevine needs and what its environment offers." Another ex- ample, "Attributing wine quality to local conditions is precisely the approach to take if one fears that wine of a similar quality can be produced elsewhere." You will need to read the book to discover more gems like this. Cliff Ohmart, Ph.D., is vice president of professional services for SureHarvest and author of View from the Vineyard: A Practi- cal Guide to Sustainable Wine Grape Growing. Previously he served as re- search/IPM director at the Lodi-Wood- bridge Winegrape Commission. He has been writing about sustainable winegrow- ing issues for Wines & Vines since 1998. Put Your Money Precision Frost Protection, Target Those Frost Pockets! READ MORE ABOUT IT AT www.shurfarms.com Where Your Frost Is! SHuR FARMS Frost Protection Colton, CA (909) 825-2035 info@shurfarms.com Napa Fermentation Supplies is proud to be a West Coast Kärcher distributor since 1989. Our prices are the lowest and we have the complete product line available. We are also a Kärcher repair facility. Kärcher state-of-the-art high-pressure washers are distinguished by infi nitely variable operating pressure, water volume and temperature control, as well as precise chemical metering. Heated models incorporate a 90%+ fuel effi cient burner system, low fuel shut-off and complete machine shut-off at the trigger gun for maximum safety and performance. Contact us today! 575 ird St. Bldg. A Napa CA 94559 707-255-6372 | napafermentation@aol.com www.napafermentation.com T erroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing By Mark A. Matthews P ublished by the University of California Press, 328 pages Hardcover: $34.95