The irresistible rise of the notion of terroir

Abstract

The use of the term terroir is now widespread in the discourse around wine and food more generally. It is assumed to have a long-standing usage yet the growth in use of the term (both in France and in the Anglophone world) is comparatively recent. By using Google Ngram data this study charts the timescale and impact of this rise. The analysis then uses Google Ngram plus (1) the quantitative analysis of a qualitative study and (2) textual analysis of British newspapers to explore this development for wine producers, intermediaries and consumers. A case study of the wine magazine Decanter adds confirmation to the overall proposition. The reasons for this rise in the use of terroir are explored examining both cultural and economic factors, including the changing supply and demand for wine over the last half-century, the explosion in the number of online wine intermediaries and consumers’ drive to find authentic products which afford them opportunities for value co-creation. Overall, the study develops and underlines the ways in which terroir as currently used is pre-eminently a social construct – offering both ‘phatic communion’ and an instant connotation of quality to wine communities without requiring any explanation of what it actually entails.

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