Terroir

[chefnaterock]

What matters more to you, flavor profile or terroir? I tend to view wine as a living, breathing thing. I would perfer to drink a wine that is from an inferior vintage, and observe it as such, than a wine from an inferior vintage that has been manipulted through cellar techniques in order to give it market appeal.

[Andy M.]

What matters to me is it how it tastes. Not where it's from.


Which would you prefer, "to drink a wine that is from an inferior vintage, and observe it as such"...

or

...to drink a wine with top notch flavor, aroma, mouth feel, etc. and relish the experience?

I prefer the latter, as I view wine as a beverage.

[PanchoHambre]

Nate... you did not include the option "Alcohol Content"

Ok I admit to having to look up the term "terroir"... it meant what I figured though.

I cannot stand wine that I feel is primarily a marketing ploy.... I avoid all of what I call the "frenetic animal" wines.. the ones with a cutesy outline of some animal named something like "dancing gerbil" or whatever and anything with too long a story... I also have learned the hard way to not buy wine on the basis of a cool label graphic... I figure if too much effort was put into the packaging its because they knew the wine itself was not going to move product

I am not an aficionado nor do I want to be one.... but I usually gravitate to wines that are regional and typical in name Dolcetta Di Alba, Rioja etc. and simply packaged. When I find something I like I buy it again.

[Maverick2272]

I had to look it up as well, so it means the unique flavor given to a wine because of where the grapes grew? Is that correct?
I go with taste, I am not a huge wine fan and prefer the sweets over dries, etc. But, if it is smooth enough I will like it.
One example given to us by one of my wife's clients was a Lambrusco dell Emilia. Again, not a huge fan of wines here, but that one I did like especially when I paired it with a nice New York Strip.

[Maverick2272]

PS I voted terroir assuming that since it influenced taste that would be the closest to what I looked for... but I am probably wrong there LOL.

[sattie]

Yep... I had to look it up as well. I know so little about wines and selecting them, I'm kinda whimsical when purchasing wines. I think for me, both count... terroir and flavor. I usually buy whites or blushes, and I have rarely bought the same thing twice.

Dancing Gerbil.... now that is funny!!! I would buy that just for the name!!!

[MexicoKaren]

I'm with sattie...I know little about wines and would probably buy something named "dancing gerbil" because it made me giggle. The sophistication level of this question is a little beyond me...

[sattie]

OH... I just saw market appeal, I was thinking flavor and terroir... um.... sometimes market appeal plays a role in it for me. But I'm with Pancho on this one, the more cutesy or played up the bottle is, the less likely I will buy it. I tend to go with the plain labeling, more serious looking wines.

[GB]

I don't buy anything just for market appeal. When I buy wine it is not to impress anyone with a fancy bottle or a cool name. I am buying it to drink and enjoy the taste, period. Marketing might get me to try something that I might not have tried though. I am not wine expert so when I am buying wine I am usually flying pretty blind. Marketing will play a role in what I pick, at least subconsciously at the minimum, but in the end it is the taste that is what will get me to buy it again.

Edited to add: Marketing goes into every bottle, not just the cutsie ones. The plain labels were designed that way, even if just in small part, with people who hate cutsie type labels in mind.

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by chefnaterock

What matters more to you, flavor profile or terrior? I tend to view wine as a living, breathing thing. I would perfer to drink a wine that is from an inferior vintage, and observe it as such, than a wine from an inferior vintage that has been manipulted through cellar techniques in order to give it market appeal.

Sorry, Nate, but the word is TERROIR and not "terrior." Please get it changed. It is a French word that really has no accurate translation into English. It means "the soil," but not only the soil, but also the microclimate of the place the specific grapes are grown AND the growing conditions of each specific vintage.

There is significant conflict between many French winemakers and their Californian counterparts, that the Americans manipulate the grapes to make the wines taste the same as wines from other places, and as well, taste exactly the same from year to year. Thus, many (and not only French) feel there is little if any "terroir" to many California wines.

For me terroir is very important to why I choose and like a wine. Never "market appeal."