It's going to be interesting to see a critic of the cultural/commercial uses of the term "terroir" at Terroir on Wed.
"In short, billions of dollars depend on acceptance of the concept of
terroir, whose most important mineral component is therefore a very large
grain of salt."- Sean Thackrey
This all brings to mind Ben Shahn and Karl Shapiro's writings about the use of art as "culture". That culture is the social, political and economic use of art; exchange value rather than inherent kicks.
While I don't think that a wine bar called "Typicity" would be as sexy, I see Thackrey's critique as refreshing. As with much spicy/salty/mineral and nutritional laden language, the word "terroir" may have a shitload of baggage, but that's the shadow side of it also possessing historical/cultural/associative power.
Never Mind The Baggage, We're Going With Fucked Up Declarative Language, Undeterred By The Nattering Nabobs! BUT: A good sharp kick at the wheels of this bike will keep us awake on this ride.
