Understanding Terroir

Contributed by Dawn Shepherd from Boutique Hotel Barges' US Office 

Terroir is a French word which translates literally as 'soil', but the meaning of this word encompasses much more. To wine lovers and vintners, terroir expresses the combination of environmental elements, including soil type, weather, topography, and nearby crops or native plants, that impact the overall character of wine made from grapes grown in a particular area.

Terroir is at the base of the French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, the strict set of rules governing how French wines can be labeled. Unlike American wine labels that generally feature the variety of grape a wine is made from, French wines are primarily labeled based on the region where the wine was produced.

Although I knew the definition of terroir as it applies to wine, I first truly understood it after spending a few weeks in the Languedoc aboard the beautiful barge Tango. It was grape harvesting time in September, with warm sunny days and refreshingly cool nights. We cruised along the Canal du Midi, past vineyards and olive groves, and fields where sunflowers had grown. It was a very pleasant and memorable experience. About 6 months after returning to the U.S., I opened a bottle of wine that I had brought back with me. It was from the domaine of Marie-Claude and Jean-Louis Poudou in Minervois, Chateau Tour Boisée. One sip and I was instantly transported back to Southwestern France. It is hard to describe the magic created by the blend of aroma and taste, but the wine held the very essence of the Languedoc - its terroir.

The concept of terroir applies to other crops, particularly tea, coffee and cacao, and increasing the term is being used as it relates to the production of artisan cheese.

When applied to cooking, the term cuisine de terroir means 'regional cooking.' It implies that the chef is using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, prepared using traditional methods and recipes unique to the region. This is the true cooking of the French people, that you can find, not only in the local bistro, but also being served at home for Sunday dinner.  It is France's 'soul food.'

Experience terroir for yourself aboard one of the wonderful barges at BoutiqueHotelBarges.com.

Recipes from "A Week on the Water": Bourride

Founder of Boutique Hotel Barges and "A Week on the Water" author, Hazel Young, is a graduate of the French National Cooking School in Beaune. She has run numerous cooking seminars and culinary cruises aboard her former barge Fandango, and planned the boutique barge's extraordinary menus for over two decades.

Bourride is a stew of vegetables, fish and fruites de mer that has its origins in the Landguedoc and Provence regions of Southern France. The name is derived from the Occitan bourrido, meaning 'something boiled'. Less well known than bouillabaisse, but equally delicious, the major difference between the two dishes comes from the garlic-rich aioli added to the bourride at the end of cooking, giving it a creaminess and wonderful aroma.

Bourride

Monk fish and mussels in a spicy aioli stew.

• 1kg (2.2 lbs) monkfish, filleted and cut into small pieces
• 1kg (2.2 lbs) mussels, cleaned
• 2 leeks washed and finely sliced
• 2 carrots peeled and finely sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon paella spice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red hot peppers or cayenne
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 L (7 cups) water
• liquid from mussels after steaming
• 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable stock paste
• 2 cups homemade mayonnaise aioli*

Heat olive oil and gently fry leeks until translucent. Add carrots and potatoes, and stir over a low flame until coated in oil.Meanwhile steam mussels for 5 minutes in separate saucepan with a lid on, no extra water needed, to obtain liquid.

Drain mussels and add stock to vegetables along with white wine, water, tomato sauce, stock paste and seasonings. Let simmer for 20 minutes then add zucchini and simmer another ten minutes.

Remove half of the mussels from their shells then set all mussels aside to add at the last minute. When ready to serve, add monkfish and simmer for only two or three minutes, adding mussels.

Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup of aioli.

Put into individual bowls, decorate with two or three mussels in their shells on the top. Serve extra aioli in small individual sauce dishes.

Aïoli mayonnaise*

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

All ingredients should be at room temperature to ensure success.

In a deep bowl, whisk mustard with egg yolk, then drizzle in the vegetable oil whisking vigorously, hold back the oil and beat more if it isn’t thickening fast enough. If ever it separates, put a tablespoon of boiling hot water into a new bowl and whisk the mixture once again until it thickens. Resume adding the rest of the oil, beat in vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

To make aioli, add two cloves of peeled and crushed garlic.