Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
f a l l / w i n t e r 2 0 1 5 | 1 0 5 The word "terroir" is so French that it cannot be perfectly translated; it repre- sents respect and love for the land and its diversity, which is exemplified in the culture of food and wine. The word expresses the uniqueness of every region and its products; but more impor- tantly it expresses the delicate symbiosis between the environment, plants, and the humans who nurture and enhance the characteristics of the land. Hugh Johnson, in his foreword to James Wilson's book Terroir, summarizes well the depth of the synergy (the book's introduction is dedicated to wine but applies to all agricultural products): "Terroir is the whole ecology of a vineyard: every aspect of its surroundings from bedrock to late frosts and autumn mists, not excluding the way a vineyard is tended, not even the soul of the vigneron." "When the French take a bite of cheese or a sip of wine, they taste the earth: rock, grass, hillside, valley, plateau. They ingest nature, and this taste signifies pleasure, a desirable good. Gustatory pleasure and evocative possibilities of taste are intertwined in the French fidelity to the taste of place." This quote, from Amy B. Trubek's book The Taste of Place, was an eye opener to my own cultural heritage, but also to all the ethnic diversity I have experienced during my travels. The concept is universal and the planet is an abundance of terroir that has been lost to a great extent due to agricultural industrialization and the globalization of the food industry. Nature is diversity and every corner of the planet could be considered a terroir in itself, defined by its weather patterns, topography, geological heritage, water source, flora, and ecosystem. There are terroirs so rich and so unique that they have produced one-of-a-kind natural wonders, such as the avocado in Mexico, tobacco in South America, coffee in Ethiopia, tea in Asia or the Terroir Terroir Terroir: The combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinc- tive character. —MerriaM-Webster's Dictionary "The planet is an abundance of terroir that has been lost to a great extent due to agricultural industrializa- tion and the globalization of the food industry." Bordeaux classified its wines in 1855, leading to a change in public perception. Growers in California's Emerald Triangle face a similar situation today. BORDEAUX PHOTO: RALF GOSCH VIA THINKSTOCK; CANNABIS FARM PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GANJIER