TERROIR TODAY, A MODERN INTERPRETATION
Terroir is a term familiar to the many discerning people who have enjoyed wine. And though tradition has created a myth that it is an ancient concept, history tells a different story.
The term was actually created as a marketing term for the Paris Exhibition of 1878. It simply meant "buy French and only French grown wines" and why not? France at that time was the leading, and often the only, source for those ingredients linked to gourmet dining.
Today there are many other choices from around the world not available then. Tropical fruits from South America are now served on winter buffets in the leading restaurants on Paris (as well as New York City and Tokyo). Wine grapes once only grown in France are now also grown in California and the Pacific Northwest. And the wines made from them are often chosen in competitions as superior to the same variety of wines from France.
As a result, it seems time for the concept of terroir to expand and embrace a meaning beyond mere territorial soil. Terroir, within a more contemporary interpretation, encompasses a collective summary of the creativity that is possible wherever the fellowship of passion and talent is present.
Champagne and Beef Wellington are more than just good grapes or fine beef. The talent of the chef is present as well as a knowledgeable diner. The quality, cultural legacy and sustainability of the harvest source as well as the dining environment is involved.
No single element defines terroir but rather it can now be viewed as the mutual merging of each element into an appreciative community of shared value that results in a deeper and wider experience for all.
This is the culinary world that Ana Kinkaid and Peter Schlagel hope to share with you. They hope it will become your culinary world as well.
