Terroir

According to Wikipedia:Terroir (French pronunciation): [tɛʁwaʁ]) comes from the word terre "land". It was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties. Agricultural sites in the same region share similar soil, weather conditions, and farming techniques, which all contribute to the unique qualities of the crop. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place," which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product.

I had forgotten about this word and the conversation in which I was introduced to it until I was reminded the other night. I was watching a show on the travel channel and they were in Brittany, France. This beautiful peninsula was filled with history and culture and fabulous foods. They used the word “TERROIR” several times during the episode.

I was first introduced to this word by a friend from high school. “Molly” (I will always change names to protect the innocent or guilty!!) and I were standing outside in front of a “local haunt” in the wee hours of the morning following our High School Reunion. “Molly is a beautiful woman that is intelligent, sophisticated and extremely well spoken. I was speaking about the dynamics of our graduating class and my amazement of how comfortable it is to see people from high school, how we haven’t skipped a beat and that the common ground we share makes the years past seem like mere weeks. We are fortunate to live in a time with social media making it easier to keep up-to-date with each other, our family status and living locations. Although years have passed and some still reside in the town we grow up in, or adjacent towns, or out of state, there is “something special” about where and when we grew up; a commonality that is only understood by those from that particular area in that particular region. We somehow have an unspoken understanding of each other.

Yes it was the 80’s! Big hair, neon colors, parachute pants, capezios, lacy gloves and flashy make-up were all the rage. Whether you were a jock, burn-out or in the band & chorus, we all interacted with others from the other “labeled” groups. Many of us had gone through school together since elementary school and our Moms were on the PTA together. Several others were related and had other family ties with each other. Still others had parents that worked for the town together. Many of us still share close friendships with these same childhood friends. Our lives in that wonderful town in which we were raised were woven together by so many threads.

As I was explaining the dynamics to Molly, she said, “It is TERROIR!” I had to admit that I have never heard of the word! In all of my worldliness, this word was foreign to me and I had to ask Molly to explain the meaning of this sophisticated French word! She went on to explain the meaning similar to the definition above (I told you she was intelligent!). We agreed that there really is something special about being surrounded by the familiarity of the area that you grow up in, the sights and tastes, the aromas that get the olfactory activated and people that jolt so many positive memories. I felt a sense of home and belonging even though I had not even lived in the state for over 17 years. She was definitely right! It was TERROIR.

We had developed into the fine wine of where we come from, the climate & geography of where we were raised and we are very much a crop, embodied by wonderful characteristics and qualities!

Just Sayin’,
Christina