Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing

Mark A. Matthews

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780520276956
• eBook ISBN: 9780520962002
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

"A must-read for any wine grape grower or winemaker who has ever wrestled with the most important myths of winegrowing or debated them with colleagues—and that would be all of us! It is also a great read for any wine consumer interested in looking at 'the man behind the curtain, ' so to speak: the myths promoted by wine writers, tasting room staff, sommeliers and other wine gatekeepers."— Wines & Vines "A meticulously researched volume that every serious sommelier should read... if only to disagree." — The Somm Journal
Wine is a traditional product with traditional explanations. Oft-romanticized, Old World notions of how to create fine wine have been passed down through generations and continue to dominate popular discussions of wine quality. However, many of these beliefs predate science and remain isolated from advances in the understanding of how crops grow and fruit ripens. Allegiance to them has frequently impeded open-minded investigation into how grapevines interact with the environment, thus limiting innovation in winegrowing. In Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing, Mark A. Matthews applies a scientist's skepticism and scrutiny to examine widely held beliefs about viticulture. Is terroir primarily a marketing ploy that obscures understanding of which environments really produce the best wine? Is reducing yield an imperative for high quality grapes and wine? What does it mean to have vines that are balanced or grapes that are physiologically mature? Matthews explores and dissects these and other questions to debunk the myths of winegrowing that may be holding us back from achieving a higher wine quality.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Low Yield and Small Berries Determine Wine Quality
• 2. Vine Balance Is the Key to Fine Winegrapes
• 3. Critical Ripening Period and the Stressed Vine
• 4. The Terroir Explanation
• Epilogue
• Notes
• References
• Index