Authenticity and terroir
“If You Want ‘Authentic’ Wine, You Need to Understand Terroir.
The special thing about wine is its connection to a particular place, and to a particular time. Of course, not all wines have this connection. Some very fine wines are a blend of vintages, as are some very cheap ones. And some wines are made in such a way that it’s very hard to know where they came from. But the important fact here is that for the sorts of wines that I usually like to drink, and which I enjoy the most, there is a definite connection between the place and the wine: a local flavor, known widely as terroir.” - Jaime Goode Wine Enthusiast Aug.15, 2020
From the French provenir, "to come from", PROVENANCE represents our commitment to offer authentic wines whose origin and exceptional quality are certified by the French label AOC Appellation d'origine contrôlée. The notion of terroir is at the basis of the concept of appellations of origin and is at the art of crafting fine wine.
A terroir is a delimited area in which a human community has built up a collective production know-how over the course of its history. It is based on a system of interactions between a physical and biological environment and a set of human factors. This is where the originality and the typicality of the wine reside.
The choice by the winegrowers to grow one or more grape varieties on the appropriate terroir for those varieties, combined with respectful viticultural practices and winemaking know-how, results in a wine that tastes like its place of origin.
Then you add the touch of the winemaker, working on different plots within a common terroir and you will see subtitle differences in the results. That is what makes each wine so unique, so interesting.
The key to bringing you authentic wine resides in finding the perfect combination between a great terroir and a great winemaker. That is Provenance-wine’s mission.
A little background
Historically, the concept of Appellations of Origin was created at the beginning of the 20th century to fight against fraud (1905 law). Subsequently, the French policy of promoting agricultural products inspired the development of a European regulation, which established in 1992 the concept of AOP, the European equivalent of AOC, for products other than wines and spirits, and extended it to wines in 2009. Only wines are authorized to bear the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC).
The rules of elaboration of an AOC are written in a set of specifications and are subject to control procedures, implemented by an independent organization approved by the INAO*.
*The National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) is a public administrative institution with civil status, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
