Marketing Terroir
What is it that makes a wine that is a truer representation of the ground and climate in which its grapes were grown…a more desirable wine?
This is the THEORY that animates those who believe "terroir-driven wines" are better wines…isn’t it?
This is the question that struck me as I was re-reading an article by Tim Patterson from the November 2004 issue of Wines & Vines, a trade publication.
The question is in fact philosophical. Nothing about a more "natural", "terroir-driven" wine makes it objectively better than a wine of lesser naturalness. But not being in the mood to think about the question at that deep a level, I trained my marketer’s eye on the question. Through this lens, we do have a question with objective answers.
A wine that can be described as more natural and more terroir-driven is more useful to the marketer because:
1. It is, presumably, unique in every way. Marketers really do like to claim ownership of their product
2. In today’s marketing climate, "natural" is far more valuable than "manipulated" or
manufactured. And keep in mind, this was not always the case in America. There was a
time when new, science-driven, manufactured, space-age products were all the rage. But not today.
3. To claim one has a "terroir-driven" wine to sell allows the marketer to climb upon the
back of the French-built reputation that claims: A wine with terroir is the better wine. This claim tends to work best, believe it or not, when marketing to a wine savvy crowd.
4. If the wine has any defects, small ones that is, that result in only slightly off flavors, the
claim of "terror!!" can be used to explain them away…even make them seem attractive.
To what extent has the marketer and the publicist helped propel "terroir" into the lexicon of American winemaking? To what extent has a significantly increased interest in "Terroir" propelled the PR and marketing specialist to take up the banner of natural wines in recent years.
Early on in his article on Terroir, Tim Patterson writes:
"These days, everybody talks terroir, New Worlders sometimes more
fervently than Old. It’s
not that Europe won the argument, or that
researchers found the "proof" behind the concept.
No, we are all
terroirists because the term has come to mean almost anything anybody
wants
it to mean, which puts it in danger of meaning nothing at all."
Is Terroir all about marketing?
Terroir certainly has the potential to be misused and become perceived as “all about marketing”, because of the nature of the conceptual benefits which marketers must sell to justify high-end wines over everyday wines. From my Procter & Gamble days, I recall every product idea required a concept, which had to resonate clearly to the consumer. Each concept required the statement of a problem the consumer has (often intended to create a state of shame), followed by a benefit intended to alleviate the problem, and a “reason why” the product would uniquely deliver the superior benefit.
Terroir is a convenient “reason why”. Why should one believe that a $250 bottle of “Shreeking Egret” Brand Cabernet will make you the envy of all your vinofiles? Because that unique little plot of land in Napa, and the secret winemaking traditions, make it rare, superior and desireable.
The benefits one can claim about a bottle of wine, especially a high-end one, are ethereal. You will be recognized by friends as something special, or the flavor will be just a bit more special, or you will always remember the moment when…, or you will close a deal, or you will truly impress a special someone, etc. What technical “reasons why” will back up your claims more convincingly than terroir? There is only so much new French oak you can use, and it’s not like you can add special magic ingredients.
Surely we will see more beautiful pictures and video footage being produced to get this reason across to consumers. Movies and coffee table books will be more and more commonplace to get each winery’s point across. “Our wine is the most beautiful because our terroir is magnificent.” Who that sits through Hess’ 10-minute video presentation isn’t impressed by the 7-10 years, and the many honest hard-working hands, that it takes to make a great Chardonnay?
Yet terroir, when it is real, is worth something, and worthy of being marketed. Based on the very positive things I’ve written about Hendry Vineyard this year, one might believe I have been paid to market for them. Not true, of course, but what I like about George, Mike and Susan is that they really don’t market their terroir as much as they live it and make it work. They are scientist farmers who make wine on the land their family fought to hold on to. Without a few real examples like this, the stories produced by mass marketers wouldn’t be as powerful.
In the end, the consumer will have to sort out whether each terroir story is believable, and whether it justifies their choices in the market. But I’m glad we have reached the point where terroir is an important factor in determining the value of a wine.
My favorite quote from the article is the re-gurgitation from Terry Thiese:
“The environment in which wine grows is its first principle, and soil is the element that changes least. Weather comes and goes, winemakers come and go. The winemaker is the second hand on the clock; the soil is the hour hand.”
In the parlance of our times, true dat.
It would seem to be self-evident (or redundant), but “terrior” is all about marketing when it is used for marketing purposes. Terrior can also be about protectionism. Frankly, it can be used as a crutch for quite a few selfish purposes.
It is the fact that it can serve as a large chunk of the foundation for a great wine that this debate rages on.
My favorite quote from the article is the re-gurgitation from Terry Thiese:
“The environment in which wine grows is its first principle, and soil is the element that changes least. Weather comes and goes, winemakers come and go. The winemaker is the second hand on the clock; the soil is the hour hand.”
In the parlance of our times, true dat.
It would seem to be self-evident (or redundant), but “terrior” is all about marketing when it is used for marketing purposes. Terrior can also be about protectionism. Frankly, it can be used as a crutch for quite a few selfish purposes.
It is the fact that it can serve as a large chunk of the foundation for a great wine that this debate rages on.
Terroir is the only part of a wine you can not substitute. Marketing understands that you have to “differentiate or die”. Consumers are asking for that thing that makes a product special, something that helps them make a choice when looking at a wall of bottles at the local wine store. Terroir lends just that to a wine. A unique quality that when experienced and appreciated brings a wine lover back to his favorite wines and wineries time and again.
I believe no other aspect of a wine deserves as much talk as terroir.