We are about to depart on a vacation that will include visits to northern Burgundy and the Medoc and St Emilion areas of Bordeaux. The wines of France have been a focus for me this year, and so I am eager to see the places that make the wines I have been reading about – and drinking. But visiting any wine country is about more than that.

Wine lovers often talk of a wine conveying a “sense of place.” Single-vineyard wines are considered the best because they are associated with the fruit of a very specific plot of land and its climate. But I think terroir is more than that. A wine’s “place” is also determined by the people of each place. How they grow the grapes and the choices they make in the cellar also play roles in conveying a “sense of place.”

As I have written before, France is crucial to understanding wine as it is made around the world. Just as my travels through New Zealand revealed unexpected discoveries, I anticipate learning much as I tour France this month. Watch for blog posts!

A bientôt!