where you from, where you goin??

I began with the goal of exploring terroir, and its importance in winemaking, but what follows is more of a random musing on (dis)location.

Having spent the better part of the last several months away from from, en route to, or departing any of several places that were, are, or could be "home," I'm amazed at how quickly the mind adjusts to the permanent impermanence of rootlessness, modern nomadism in the cult of Ryan Bingham, if you will. But despite the comfort of coming home to the same spot on the couch and curling up, that same safety exists in the routine of constant movement: Pack that favorite sweater; ID and laptop ready to go through security; Sunny the flight attendant happily taking drink orders again. And, of course, traipsing through time zones as if keeping a regular schedule has gone the way of parachute pants has led to a newfound need for regular caffeination (oh, wait)...

Between browsing numerous coffee shop menus, hoarding fragrant teas from various locales and checking my watch to make sure it is, actually, the time and day I'm assuming it is, I've been giving some thought to what it means to be from someplace. No matter how much you're on the go, a feeling of regularity is crucial to maintaining one's sanity, and you can't help but start to pick up bits and pieces that give a hint of where you've been - no amount of world-weary savoir faire can completely erase your origins, regardless of how bountiful those frequent flier miles may be.

And it is not only us, as people, that are shaped by our environment. For wines, in particular, the anchor of origin is not only character-shaping but a key identifying factor. In some cases, there is no more important characteristic than where you're from, and hence the premium placed on certain AOC versus a vin de pays. Most obvious is the example of Champagne, where the elements of terroir, winemaking tradition and marketing have so fortuitously collided that the region is synonymous with high-grade sparkling wines. Much as different regions are known for different styles, however, terroir is truly the foundation of a distinctive wine. Determined by the interaction of climate, soil and topography, terroir determines what grapes will flourish where, and lends distinguishing traits to its harvest, which are then manipulated by winemakers to form what we finally drink. And eventually, over decades of production, those wines develop a unifying set of characteristics that identify them in style as a Bordeaux or a Burgundy; a New World or an Old World wine.

Wines in this way carry an enviable sense of place, but that strict definition by point of origin is simultaneously suffocating in its inescapability: What if that New Zealand shiraz wants nothing more than to be like its brother Rhone? While we may from time to time benefit from the anonymity of blending into a completely foreign environment, no such fluidity of being exists for poor shiraz. So while at times I want only for a clear idea of where "home" may be found, I'll raise my glass to being able to decide that for myself, wherever it may be.