I watched Mondovino last night which got me thinking about the importance of terroir in regards to wine. Recently the U.S. and E.U. came to an agreement that will evenually protect regional names such as chianti and champagne (as well as allowing the U.S. to sell over-oaked chardonnay in Europe). As wine become more globalized people are fighting to preserve regionality. Why does it matter? The most eloquent essay I've read on the subject lately was by Terry Theise on the Dr. Vino website. Theise, a wine importer, talks of spirit of place in terms that are both metaphyiscal and practical. Terroir matters according to Theise because grapes flourish where they feel at home and when the grapes are happy they transmit subtle qualities which make for better wine. I don't quite agree with him when he says that chardonnay doesn't really work well outside of Chablis and Champagne but his argument for the power of place is compelling. Good wine is often about hard-to-pin-down qualities and terroir is part of the soul of the wine.The movie itself was a bit of a muddle sometimes as it jumped from region to region and interview to interview but it did drive home the idea that something is lost when wine goes corporate. It also made me wish I was drinking one of the wines from the movie rather than the bad cabernet from Mendocino I had poured. The movie's website has links to the websites for some of the wines featured in the movie including the Domaine Hubert de Montille.
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