- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: University of California Press (26 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0520238583
- ISBN-13: 978-0520238589
- Product Dimensions: 29.3 x 23.6 x 1.9 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 478,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
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"The vine and its wine are a great mystery. Only the vine reveals to us what is the real taste of the earth," writes Colette."
Product Description
'The vine and its wine are a great mystery. Only the vine reveals to us what is the real taste of the earth', writes Colette. In this sumptuously illustrated and wonderfully informative book, Jacques Fanet invites us on an entertaining tour of the world's most celebrated wine growing regions to discover the characteristics of the bond that ties the vine to its place of birth: the terroir. Terroir is a uniquely French term for the subtle interaction of natural factors and human skills that define the characteristics of each wine growing region. Interviewing growers and researchers in France, Spain, Italy, California, Chile, Australia, and South Africa, Fanet looks for the soil in the soul of each wine. He takes us back millions of years to show how movements in the ancient bedrock, faults, mountain building, tidal flow, sedimentation, and volcanic activity contribute to the precise and individual character of each terroir, making the great wine growing regions what they are today. "Great Wine Terroirs" provides wine enthusiasts with everything they will want to know about different soils and climates, the relationship between international grape varieties and the soil in which they grow, and how these factors affect the taste of the wines. Color geological illustrations and timelines support the text and explain key phenomena. Fanet also provides a glossary, geographical index, and index of soil types and grape varieties. He explains ecological practices and their effect on the terroirs and answers questions such as why the Chateauneuf plateau, almost 300 feet about the Rhone Valley, is surrounded by river alluvia and why there are fossilized oysters in the soils of Chablis. Those interested in the wine of California will find a lively discussion of the Napa Valley, with a detailed explanation of how the San Andreas fault, the Sierra Nevada, and the Great Central Valley have all played a part in creating the most spectacular wine-producing region on the continent.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was really looking forward to reading this one! However on arrival I soon realised I was going to be disappointed> The author deals well with the geological aspect of each 'Terroir', however I felt he fundamentally failed to link the impact of each geological aspect to the characteristics of the wine from each region or terroir. It is not detailed or barely touches on the subjects such as hydric stress, or mineral content and the many other subjects and their affects on the wine. He mention many different rock strata and but fails to give their properties, e.g. high in calcium, increases PH, approx 6-7 which is optimal for mineral up take by vines, etc,... etc.
Poor attempt, with some nice pictures and perhaps lost in translation (at best).
This book will not give you the tools to unlock terroir, and If you think it does, I reckon you are away with the fairies!
Poor attempt, with some nice pictures and perhaps lost in translation (at best).
This book will not give you the tools to unlock terroir, and If you think it does, I reckon you are away with the fairies!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Good Detail for Wine Geeks
11 Sep 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a very good text for wine geeks ( I am a proud one myself), but not for the beginner to wine. If you are a lover of French wines and have a bent towards geology, then this is the perfect reference for you! The maps and soil diagrams are wonderful.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Introduction to terroir
23 April 2010
Format:Hardcover
This is a good, generally accessible, though not exact novice-friendly book on the role of terroir, the land both from geology and from meteorology, in the making of fine wines. There are a couple of more technical, texts on wine growing soils (Soils for Fine Wines which I can recommend, and Understanding Vineyard Soils which I haven't read) as well out there. This one can be enjoyed by any wine geek, I mean fan.
Excellent on (certain) terroirs
6 Jan 2011
Format:Hardcover
Fanet's (translated) book is an excellent overview of the link between geology, soils, and the concept of terroir-driven wines. The maps are absolutely gorgeous, and UC Press is to be commended for not taking the cheap (black and white) road on a few of these. Numerous photos, maps, illustrations, diagrams enrich the narrative as Fanet moves primarily among and between French viticultural terroirs. So if you are a French wine geek, or a love of French wines, it's a great volume. I can imagine traveling with it as it does not come in a giant encyclopedic format.
That said, the strength of the volume (French wine and terroirs) is also its greatest weakness since most areas of the world get very brief treatment. For California, just as one example, Fanet claims that terroir wasn't important to California producers until recently. What he probably means to say is that terroir itself was not sought after or emphasized as part of the producer/winery discourse in California. But terroir in and of itself, as a thing (biophysical qualities, plus winemaker choices) has always been in every place that produces wine. Some wines are opaque reflections of the landscape, terrain, and climate (terroir), while others are more transparent. But partnered with a larger book like the Oxford Guide or Sotheby's massive volume that includes producers, and this would make a happy combo. Some aspects of Fanet's original text will seem a bit outdated to readers, since so much changes in the wine world (and almost every year), but it's solid, and interesting. Apart from some stilted translation here and there, mostly sticking in redundant or unnecessary "The"s everywhere, it's a great resource. I plan on teaching with it....and soon.
That said, the strength of the volume (French wine and terroirs) is also its greatest weakness since most areas of the world get very brief treatment. For California, just as one example, Fanet claims that terroir wasn't important to California producers until recently. What he probably means to say is that terroir itself was not sought after or emphasized as part of the producer/winery discourse in California. But terroir in and of itself, as a thing (biophysical qualities, plus winemaker choices) has always been in every place that produces wine. Some wines are opaque reflections of the landscape, terrain, and climate (terroir), while others are more transparent. But partnered with a larger book like the Oxford Guide or Sotheby's massive volume that includes producers, and this would make a happy combo. Some aspects of Fanet's original text will seem a bit outdated to readers, since so much changes in the wine world (and almost every year), but it's solid, and interesting. Apart from some stilted translation here and there, mostly sticking in redundant or unnecessary "The"s everywhere, it's a great resource. I plan on teaching with it....and soon.
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