Terroirs viticoles en Rioja : une « culture » spécifique?
Vineyards in Rioja: A Specific ”Culture”?

Summary/Abstract: Rioja has been traditionally known to the general public for its close relationship with the vineyards of Bordeaux, in particular that of Médoc. In the 1860s, Bordeaux, which had been harshly struck by phylloxera, imported part of the wines it needed for its customers. At the same time, Bordeaux exported to Rioja its own techniques, known as the “Bordeaux method” (Brémond, 2008). But the criteria used for establishing wine hierarchies in the two regions differ. Bordeaux favors the cadastral method based on geophysical features of the land, while Rioja designed a system based on the preparation and assemblage of the wines as well as on the maturation period in the cellar before the distribution on the market. This model involves a less precise and more generic perception of the “terroir”, one which is closer to the French concept of “controlled designation of origin” (appellation d’origine contrôlée). This paper sets out to show that such choices lead to two very different wine “cultures”.

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