Ask a Terroirist

The Terroirists believe in two principles. One is that no question about wine is too stupid to ask, and the other is that no one should drink White Zinfandel under any circumstances. Please, leave a comment containing your question and we will answer as quickly as possible – even if it means waking from a deep sleep.  Alternatively, click here to send us an email for a private question or comment (recommended for questions about White Zinfandel and dating inquiries).

89 Responses to Ask a Terroirist

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  1. Adam says:
    November 11, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    So a taster recently described a flaw in a wine I love. They cited a ‘bug’ which made the wine taste more ‘old world’ despite being a new world syrah. Any ideas which ‘bug’ he might be thinking of?

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    • stevenwashuta says:
      November 12, 2010 at 12:09 am

      that’d be brettanomyces – also known as the “b-bomb” in California. It’s just plain evil this side of the prime meridian, but can add some complexity on the other side.

      here’s a theory: old world “terroir” is more driven by microbial activity via lack of sanitation in wine production than it is by… well anything else. Still, this doesn’t stop the romanticist in me from believing and fully supporting the concept, not to mention drinking these wines, even when they have a little brett in them.

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  2. ericnoreen says:
    November 13, 2010 at 7:42 am

    Fun Fact, while brettanomyces may be the bane of new world wines it is actually used as the primary fermentation yeast in some Belgian beers.

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