#terroir

#terroir

Country of origin labeling became mandatory on all international products entering the United States in 2009. The goal was to ensure American consumers knew where the products they were buying came from, enabling shoppers to make informed buying decisions. These products include everything from Mexican avocados to French wine to pasta from Italy, with the latter thankfully safe from recent U.S. tariffs. However, does the location a product comes from actually matter?

"Five to ten years ago, sustainability was often limited to buzzwords or isolated practices," he says. "Today, it is holistic, intentional, and deeply embedded into every aspect of the visitor experience."

Regularly named world's best cheese at international competitions, Le Gruyere AOP has earned its place at the top thanks to its heritage, terroir, and above all, the hand of the cheesemaker. Since 1115, Le Gruyere AOP has been crafted in a small region of Switzerland, where time-honored methods are still followed today 160 village dairies carry on that legacy, and each cheesemaker has undergone years of training to become a true master.

The concept of terroir has been essential to the history of Burgundy since (at least) the Middle Ages when the Cistercian monks started documenting vineyard sites across the region. Each plot was meticulously mapped out and categorized based on where the vines were most successful and what the resulting wines tasted like. Many of the areas that were selected as the cream of the crop back then are still highly regarded to this day.

New Zealand has a catalog of higher intensity hops-not just Nelson and Motueka, but Riwaka, Peacharine, Nectaron, and Pacific Sunrise-that deliver in the same way as American hops.