Fascinating to delve back into history to understand what enabled the emergence of great wines

In the Querelle des anciens et des modernes sur les facteurs de la qualité du vin (1952), Roger Dion explains that the modern notion of terroir matched to grape varieties did not always prevail. Firstly, great wines were the preserve of the powerful, because producing a fine wine was costly: one had to be capable of transforming poor soils into land suitable for crafting great wines—soil conditioning, drainage, and so forth. Numerous historical writings also attest that the price of a wine varied according to the social standing of its owner: “In the reputation of the crus de grave there is much obstinacy, for often, between two parcels of vines separated only by a footpath, one belonging to a president or man of distinction and the other to a peasant, the former will sell for far more than the latter.” Secondly, quality wines could only exist close to major cities or trade routes—especially waterways—as commercial outlets were essential to sell these crus. Lacking such outlets, local production often remained simple peasant wine of modest quality, even where the terroirs were of high quality. The author demonstrates that whilst the quality of the terroir was important, it was merely a secondary factor. Historically, terroir is therefore first and foremost a human construct, and today’s great terroirs are the legacy of these centuries of history.