Terroir

The biggest word in the wine business is terroir (pronounced ter wa'):

A " terroir " is a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.

The idea is that if you own a vineyard that it has a special personality, taste, quality that makes it unique. I spoke with Claire DuCroq of Paul Hobbs Wines.

Claire told me that the French have determined that a wine's terroir is influenced by its soil, its weather, the grapes and its people - the people tending to the grapes.

A business has its own terroir, too. It has its industry, its niche, its technology and its people. These things make your product or service unique - it's your personality.

Are you enhancing and perfecting your terroir? Or are you diminishing it, stripping it down and making it like everyone else?



Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com