Impact case study database

Demossier’s work on terroir has reached multiple stakeholders in the wine industry, benefiting significantly the traditional regional economies in Burgundy, New Zealand and Italy.

Enhancing Cultural Diversity and Crafting Local Heritage Claims

In 2008, the Association des climats de Bourgogne commissioned Demossier to write the anthropological report which led to the successful listing in 2015 of the climats de Bourgogne as a UNESCO world heritage site [ 5.1]. For Burgundy, winning UNESCO status enhanced the region’s economic prestige and value translating into a 25% rise in local tourism, while simultaneously providing benefits in terms of heritage, conservation, regeneration as well as enhanced civic pride and social capital. Its socio-economic impact has been significant as Burgundy represents 5% of world trade value and 20,000 direct jobs as well as 100,000 in indirect activities (e.g. glass-makers and coopers). Local stakeholders described the publication of Demossier’s book in 2018 as ‘a significant contribution’ to the region’s heritage (Alain Suguenot, mayor of Beaune; Aubert de Villaine, director of the Association des climats de Bourgogne) [ 5.2].

The Italian Prosecco Consortium consulted Demossier in July 2017 about their UNESCO application because of her ongoing research into the process of heritagisation. The Italian Prosecco Consortium is composed of the main wine-producers of the Prosecco Denomination of Origin growing region, and the Prosecco-producing towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Demossier advised them on the necessity of a collective strategy to succeed as the region was characterised by a strong opposition between a handful of elite producers and small artisanal wine-growers. Professor Salvemini of the Scuola di Direzione Aziendale Bocconi who led the team creating the dossier for the cultural aspects of the bid explained: ‘the time span of her study (25 years) has been very useful to understand informal strategies undertaken by the stakeholders of the Burgundy territory in order to reposition the whole region and its products in the worldwide market’ [ 5.3]. The Prosecco region obtained World Heritage status on 7 July 2019.

In 2014, Professor Marinella Carrosso (sadly since deceased) invited Demossier to join an international workshop in Alba (UNESCO Langhe wine region) to discuss Burgundy wine cultural heritage because of her work on terroir. The event was attended by local stakeholders and politicians and served as a springboard to prepare the 2015 Universal Exhibition. The presentation led the Feltrinelli Foundation to later commission Demossier to write a report for the 2015 Universal Exhibition on Food Heritage in Milan which contributed to the final Expo 2015 report on sustainability and terroir as local food heritage [ 5.4] The Expo 2015 theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” encompassing technology, innovation, culture, traditions and creativity and how they relate to food and diet aimed at informing the international food industry.

Influencing Wine Producers Thoughts and Behaviours

Demossier’s research has influenced how Central Otago wine producers engage with their professional practices and environments. Her work has inspired them to think about how they create and express a unique terroir for New Zealand’s young wine industry and for their individual products how they can position themselves in an increasingly globalised market. In the context of the 2016 Registration Amendment Bill on Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) which created a GI Register and provided a regime for registering place names, the idea of different regional expressions of variety has been gaining ground, especially with small wine producers. These smaller producers, with a vineyard area of no more than 20 hectares (49 acres), represent over three quarters of New Zealand's wineries. Demossier’s work has helped them to define terroir in differentiated ways as well as constructing micro-differences between both brands and wines.

Building on her invitation to the Pinot Noir festival in 2013 (Wellington, New Zealand), Demossier gave a seminar in Cromwell, New Zealand, organised by 15 wine-growers from the COWA (Central Otago Wine Growers Association). It resulted in a sustained and long-lasting collaboration. Demossier was invited in 2017 to join the Central Otago delegation of 12 winegrowers during their visit to Burgundy and to speak about terroir as they wanted to gain a grounded understanding of terroir (Burgundy acts as the worldwide benchmark of terroir quality wines) [ 5.5].

Consequently, Nick Mills, a leading Central Otago wine-producer and member of the executive committee of the 2021 Pinot Noir Festival in Christchurch made Demossier’s recent paper ‘What does terroir do to wine?’ compulsory reading for all members of the festival committee. Nick Mills explained that Demossier’s work ‘encourage us to look at human aspects; the social, economic and political environments that shape us as people and then how we define, qualify communicate our relationship as people to place’. More specifically, ‘As Pinot Noir producers, whilst we look to our craft’s cultural and historical reference points in Burgundy, we must also look critically at ourselves (individuals, communities and broader cultures) to establish our own sense of identity now and what it might look like in the future. Accordingly, Marion’s work has, wholly or in part, inspired us to carefully examine many aspects of our culture’ [ 5.6].

Several other producers have cited Demossier’s work as raising their confidence: ‘The Central Otago producers are now more and more able to identify the attributes from their single vineyard sites and the discussions around their terroir are gaining in precision’ (Lucie Lawrence, Aurum Wines Central Otago) [ 5.7]; Christopher Keys, Winemaker at Gibbston Valley Winery and Chair of the Central Otago Pinot Celebration 2020 (COWA) wrote: ‘it is hard for me to overstate how important Marion Demossier's book Burgundy: A Global Anthropology of Place and Taste is to me personally, but also the thematic direction of our event next year. {…} By revealing the foundations of Burgundy’s historiographic and winemaking constructs, Demossier has provided us a way to understand Burgundy’s mystery, simultaneously provoking questioning of self. No other text I have read on the subject has come close to doing that. I feel that those with the courage to sensitively yet directly question established paragons ought to be valued now more than ever’ [ 5.8].

The impact of Demossier’s work on Dry River Wines (Martinborough) is illustrated by the inclusion of her Europe Now article in their annual release brochure (2000 copies) for their private clients. Wilco Ham, Head Winemaker for the wine estate commented: ‘The globalisation and corporatisation of society calls for increased protection of our identities’…’It resonated with me […] I, in charge of a small producer who needs to export part of our wine, want to say exactly that, it provides a voice for my contribution to a culture and for farming’ [ 5.9]. On a similar note, Nick Mills, owner of Rippon, has included the concept of terroir in his marketing.

Furthermore, the 2021 Pinot Noir Festival has chosen as its terroir motto the Maori ‘Turangawaewae- A place to put one’s feet, A place to stand. Kaitiakitanga- Guardianship, stewardship and Whanaungatanga- Kinship, relationships, family culture’ seeking to construct a unique terroir in a highly competitive and changing context. For Mills: ‘At the same time, our industry is currently in a state of flux. With the decline of the “expert” and rise of social media, no one is able to identify who the real trade and customer influencers are. Indeed, the future of alcohol consumption itself is equally unsure. It’s difficult to imagine a positive future for the New Zealand Wine Industry if it is unable to capture the opportunity to connect with people and for them to connect meaningfully with our place. Marion’s study of wine’s connective aspects is therefore extremely important for us right now and it is for this reason that she has been invited to attend the next iteration of our country’s premier wine event: Pinot Noir NZ 2021 [postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic]’ [ 5.6].

Fostering Debate in the Wine and Food Industry

Demossier’s work has influenced how stakeholders in the food and wine industry understand terroir.

Her 2018 book was commented upon by John Barker, a lawyer and New Zealand wine policy advisor for the OIV (International Office for Wines): ‘The theme that intrigues me throughout the book {…} is the relationship between conscious strategy and internalised ‘beliefs’ in the evolution of both Burgundy and Central Otago – how one supports, constructs and becomes part of the other over time’ [ 5.10]. Demossier was interviewed for the newspaper Le Monde (circulation: 301,528) in the context of the UK cheese industry in August 2017 [ 5.11]. In November 2019, Demossier’s work on terroir was presented as a keynote during a symposium held at Sheffield Hallam University and attended by 48 participants including WineGB, the national association for the English and Welsh wine industry, who circulated it to their members. Her book was reviewed in the prestigious international wine magazine ‘The World of Fine Wine’, website and app which reaches an international readership of over 1,000 wine lovers across 30 countries stating: ‘this book has the potential to become a very important point of reference on issues well beyond winemaking and to capture a wide audience of educated readers and wine lovers’ [ 5.12 and 5.13].