Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines: Amazon.ca: James E. Wilson, Hugh Johnson: Books

Product Description

Wine & Spirits magazine

"Fascinating.Taken in sips, like a fine, dense Bordeaux, it's a book worthy of long contemplation."

Adventures in Dining

"An exceptionally informative book."

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6 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars A text for geologists, not wine lovers, Feb 7 2003

By

Errol Kovitch "ekovitch" (Rochester Hills, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines (Hardcover)

Do not buy this book if you are expecting an easy read, perhaps expanding on the "terroir" writings of Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator fame.

This book spends little space discussing the actual liquid that in contained within a wine bottle. What you get instead is an in depth examination of the geology which causes differences in the finished product. The feeling that the "product" is wine, seems to have no joy to the author. To me, that is what ruins this book. I get the feeling that if the author would have had as much enthusiasm writing upon the impact of different wavelengths of light on the lima bean.

Not that this book didn't accomplish what the author set out to do. Just know what you are buying.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Misadvertised, April 8 2001

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L. B. Brattsten (New Brunswick, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines (Hardcover)

"Terroir" by Wilson is a very good book, indeed. Johnson, however, has very little to do with it; he just wrote the foreword, which he does to so many books. Wilson's book is comparable to the older "The Wines and Winelands of France, Geological Journeys" by Charles Pomerol, 1989, English language edition, a much more cut-n-dried account of much the same territory. Both are excellent sources of information for people like teachers and people who wish to gain some intellectual as well as sensory pleasure out of their vinous beverages.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good geology, not a good title, Mar 7 2001

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D. Tesic (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Terroir: The Role of Geology, Climate, and Culture in the Making of French Wines (Hardcover)

With a great anticipation I bought this book at the time when I was doing my PhD on terroir. To some extent, the book was a disappointment. Geology really represents only one element of terroir. Scientific evidence that would relate parent rock composition / structure to wine quality is non-existent. It is, as lawyers would say, circumstantial, not direct evidence. The role that soil type and local climate, as well as vineyard management and winemaking practices play in shaping up terroir is greatly undermined in this book. The impressive work on terroir done at INRA (the National Institute of Agronomic Research) in France by Barbeau, Asselin, Morlat and others is basically ignored. These scientists (as well as my own research) have found that physical properties of soil and subsoil, as well as local climate, are the most important factors defining terroir. However, this book does have excellent maps and a wealth of geological and regional information - so it is worth every penny on that account only. The only problem is that, in my opinion, the title is wrong. "Geology of the French vineyards", or something similar, would describe the book's content much more precisely.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A geologist's opinion
I guess I was already a believer when I ordered the book, but reading it has confirmed my suspicions that terroir is a very real contributor to what makes a good vineyard capable... Read more

Published on May 18 2000 by doctor_rock

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic for the vinophile
If you feel that the idea of "Terroir", i.e., that the land influences the wine in such a way that it can be distinguished by taste, is foolish, read this book. Read more

Published on April 26 2000 by Steven Charnick