Blind tastings help us to understand terroir wines

Abstract

The nature of terroir wines as a separated, well-defined kind of wine is analysed from their definitions by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) and an alternative source. The analysis is divided in a first part focused on physico-chemical attributes, from which it is suggested that terroir wines cannot be recognized from such attributes; the reality of such perception was confirmed by a series of 41 blind tasting sessions, where terroir and non-terroir wines were not distinguished. In discussing these results we suggest that a terroir wine carries a second class of attributes which are not recognized in the wine itself, which are information. A common consumer not interested on terroir will not benefit from the associated information. We argue that the consumption of a terroir wine by an informed person adds value to the tasting experience; in a blind tasting this information is not available and the extra gain does not exist. The comparison between the two experiences help us to understand the nature of terroir wines.