Terroir: At the heart of geography

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the ways in which particular assemblages of vines and environments have emerged since prehistory, thereby giving rise to our notions of terroir. It reviews debates relating to the importance of terroir in the contemporary world of wine and develops two main arguments: first, that the land in which grapes are grown can, indeed, have a distinctive influence on the flavours of the wines made from them; and second, that different groups of people, be they grape growers or winemakers in various parts of the world, all have particular interests around which debates over terroir can be constructed.