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Comment by srtjstjsj | Hacker News Reader

Air? I wouldn't feed my grapes the swill you breathe: http://www.carneroshills.com/about/terrior/

"The idea of terroir has a mystical aspect. However, salt water, tides, moist morning air, cool afternoon breezes, nightly fog, rolling hills, mineral soil and intense mid-day sunshine allow Carneros to be a truly unique appellation. Vineyards in close proximity to each other produce distinctly different wines, each a true expression of its terroir. And yet, there is always an overriding Carneros identity, a product largely of the dominating maritime climate."

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With all due respect, terroir is a major aspect of wine.

However, you shouldn't believe me. What you should do, if you doubt, is perform a blind taste test: Pouilly-Fuissé vs Pouilly-Fumé.

The two regions are literally across the river from each other and have distinct characteristics.

Simply, to de-romanticize[1] "terroir", it's all about chemistry. The taste is a chemical reaction and certain climates, soil, etc. allows an individual to taste "stuff".

[1] http://winefolly.com/review/where-wine-flavors-come-from/

I would not propose a blind test to anyone and "experts" (oenologist) will kindly refuse to do the test. I tried my "wine liking" friends with this kind of blind test, and actually proved them they do not feel anything (the wine was the same in both glasses, they were certain that this glass was x and that glass was y, then ten minute later I did it again, with the same "those two wines are uncomparable" answer, while the wine was exactly the same)

So, if ask me, the wine thing is a scam from the begining. The only stable criterium for good vs bad wine is how bad the head ache in the morning. I.e. I can drink a >20€ bottle alone and be clear the next morning, while a <20€ bottle (with exceptions) is a bad idea.

Oh, and I'm French, and most my family and friends have contracted this oeno-magicallicus virus, which makes you believe in things that do not exist. [edit: and pay for them unexistent things]

I would not agree that you can't tell the difference between good and bad wine by taste alone, but I do agree about the difference in how you feel the next day is determined by price.

While I'm not disputing the importance of terroir, your example is not the best:

- Far from being "literally across the river", the two regions are ~200km apart by road (Pouilly-Fumé is from the Loire valley, Pouilly-Fuissé from the Mâconnais).

- The two wines are made from different grapes: Pouilly-Fuissé is a Chardonnay, while Pouilly-Fumé is a Sauvignon Blanc.

Maybe you meant Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre? Same grape, opposite sides of the Loire?

I understand why that would seem... goofy, but to give a concrete example that we all know and love... The Vidalia Onion!

If you plant them in Vidalia (or anywhere with sandy soil and low sulfur content) you get lovely, sweet, onions. Plant them anywhere else, and they're just as piquant as any other white variety. That's a really big example of "Terroir", without the mystical crap attatched. Grapes as I understand it, in relation to their water/sugar/acid content, vary greatly with relatively minor changes in climate.

At least in part, this is why climate change is likely to do quite the number on French wines, possibly forever, definitely for a very long time.

I was talking to a winemaker friend of mine about such things and he confirmed the ideal weather for particular grapes was shifting north and recommended growing grapes in Colorado.

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