(NVR) - Terroir is a term used regularly when discussing wine. But it is a term that is also met with controversy and conflict. What is terroir? It is an amorphous term with no clear consensus.

In Burgundy, where they have been carving up land for hundreds of years, perhaps they have a good sense of their “terroir.” But what about in California where the wine industry is younger?

Julia Jackson from Jackson Family Wines hosted a conversation about the terroir of the West Burgundy Group, a portfolio of boutique wineries producing estate-based, site specific wines from Burgundian varieties grown in vineyards across the cool climate regions of California and Oregon.

The conversation included winemakers Erik Johannsen (Champ de Rêves), Eugenia Keegan (Gran Moraine), Adam Lee (Siduri) and Craig McCallister (Wild Ridge), as well as Steve Heimoff, Jackson Family Wines director of wine communications and education, and moderated by Gilian Handelman, Jackson Family Wines director of wine education.

To begin, each person provided their definition of “terroir.” Julia Jackson sees terroir as the “synergy of microclimates, soil, climate, cover crops, perennials, geology and man, to some degree.”

Eugenia Keegan takes a traditional approach to terroir, following a strict interpretation that it is what Mother Nature gives you in a certain spot and then, as a winemaker, “you take the site combined with our evolving knowledge to make the best wine possible.”

Erik Johannsen’s definition is based on a strict modernist interpretation in which the geology, geography, ecology and viticulture make an imprint on the vineyard but the terroir is more than a summation of these parts. He explained, “There are so many interactions going on that there is an unknowable entity in a vineyard.”

Craig McCallister agreed that terroir is the sum of the influence of climate, the environment and geology that “create a fingerprint or marker that ties the wine to the site.” But, as the cynic of the group, he said the term is overused and incorrectly used, especially in the New World.

Adam Lee approaches terroir in a more mystical manner. He is looking for something about the place that is so special that he can’t quite explain it, in other words, terroir is the “soul of the place.”

In conclusion, Steve Heimoff, who agreed that terroir is the sum total of what Mother Nature gives you, sees terroir as “an icebreaker, a common word that is used when people come together,” and so the ice was broken.

The conversation was fascinating, and thoughtful questions were brought up. When talking about site specifics, is that terroir? Or is that a regional, community-driven concept? How does human interaction in the vineyard influence terroir? Once the grapes are picked, does terroir end? Where does terroir end and winemaking start? Is there another word that works better than “terroir”? What about “of place?”