Wine is a traditional product with traditional explanations. Oft-romanticized, Old World notions of how to create fine wine have been passed down through generations and continue to dominate popular discussions of wine quality. However, many of these beliefs predate science and remain isolated from advances in the understanding of how crops grow and fruit ripens. Allegiance to them has frequently impeded open-minded investigation into how grapevines interact with the environment, thus limiting innovation in winegrowing. In Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing, Mark A. Matthews applies a scientist's skepticism and scrutiny to examine widely held beliefs about viticulture. Is terroir primarily a marketing ploy that obscures understanding of which environments really produce the best wine? Is reducing yield an imperative for high quality grapes and wine? What does it mean to have vines that are balanced or grapes that are physiologically mature? Matthews explores and dissects these and other questions to debunk the myths of winegrowing that may be holding us back from achieving a higher wine quality.

About the Author
Mark A. Matthews is Professor of Viticulture at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science at the University of California, Davis.

Reviews
"Get ready to have some sacred cows of the wine trade -terroir, anyone?- toppled." Wine School of Philadelphia, Wine Gift Guide for 2015 "A must-read for any wine grape grower or winemaker who has ever wrestled with the most important myths of winegrowing or debated them with colleagues-and that would be all of us! It is also a great read for any wine consumer interested in looking at 'the man behind the curtain,' so to speak: the myths promoted by wine writers, tasting room staff, sommeliers and other wine gatekeepers." Wines & Vines "I came away from reading Matthews' essay on terroir more thoroughly convinced than ever that the idea of 'terroir' is likely the most abused and often most useless word in the world of wine... 'Terroir and Other Myths of Winegrowing' is a book that is well worth reading, particularly by those who work in the wine industry either in the vineyard, in the cellar or in marketing." -- Tom Wark Fermentation:The Daily Wine Blog "A meticulously researched volume that every serious sommelier should read ... if only to disagree." The Somm Journal "Will force you to reconsider everything you know (or thought you knew) about winemaking... Compelling, expertly researched, and just may prove to be one of the most disruptive works of wine literature ever written." Terroirist "Beautiful, useful and highly entertaining." Journal of Wine Economics "We should all read this book. We need to know what all the arguments are, and be prepared, especially when teaching or writing, to offer both schools of thought. But what I'd most like is for this to pave the way for some meaty, white-hot scientific debate. Subpoenas going out in the post." JancisRobinson.com



Book Information
ISBN 9780520276956
Author Mark A. Matthews
Format Hardback
Page Count 328
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm