Anyone who deals with French wine will encounter the word "Cru" very frequently. Many people do not know much about this word, and even some experts in the industry do not pay attention to expressing it accurately. The intention is to cause confusion among consumers. Some people say "grand Cru" written on the bottle label is a famous wine, "grand Cru classe" is a top-level famous wine, and "xx Cru" is a "xx famous wine." This is very inaccurate. So it is necessary to explain this word a little bit.
Tracing back to its origins, "Cru" is a very old French word. The famous French wine master Emile Peynaud described the word "Cru" in his book: "We get this old French word just like picking up a pebble in the river. It was originally A hard and distant boulder, formed by countless changes washed by various rapids. These rapids include people, language, science, management, law, etc." This is indeed the case, even in some French dictionaries. , the explanation of the "Cru" note is not very clear either. According to Littré, Cru is “the land that grows plants and the products that come from them.” Larousse said, "In wine production, Cru refers specifically to the land that can produce wine." Cru "is a region of growth and a region of growth that can replace itself," Robert said.
The word Cru is the past participle of the verb Croître (to grow). The early form was "croistre", which evolved into "Cru" in the 16th century. Later, a macron was added, writing It is "Crû", and in idiom the accent mark is removed and it is called "Cru". This word is not only used in viticulture, it refers to the growth of all living things (plants and animals) and the production of products transformed from them, including fruits, vegetables, trees, wine, distilled spirits, honey, cream, cheese, etc. etc., even livestock and meat.
In the field of interest to tasters, Cru generally refers to grape growing products. In fact, this is a complex concept that brings together many different elements of activity, including agriculture, industrial processing and all conversions, including business. As people often say, Beaujolais is an excellent Cru. The word Cru here refers to the fact that the Beaujolais region is an excellent wine-producing area in general, refers to geographical and geological factors, and only represents the representative products of this region* **The same inherent characteristics do not specifically indicate the nature of the products of the twelve Beaujolais wineries, but refer to the nature of their products from the same place of origin. They do not indicate the individual characteristics of the product, nor do they indicate its grade. .
In Bordeaux, the Cru system is unique, and Cru has more restrictive characteristics. Even if they are all wines named by origin, different grape growing owners, different wineries, or very close neighbors, their products have personalized characteristics. Their wines have a strong on-site character and are often bottled and sold fresh. It connects the three activities of production, transportation and sales, firmly grasps the geographical characteristics of the small area and gives it a prestigious name, making it a famous trademark. In some areas, Cru is removed from the trademark, and here the trademark and Cru have become one and the same. Through the careful care of the owner and the recognition of the quality tradition, Cru has the value of a distinctive trademark, distinguishing it from other products.
Why is the word Cru not equivalent in other languages? Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese translators often write the word Cru in quotation marks, like grouth in English and Giwächs in German. The pronunciation and meaning of the language symbols are not completely related to each other. Same, each pronunciation has its own meaning. In the United States, it is written as crew from the French pronunciation, and in Germany it is written as krü. People often analyze the concept of Cru. It must include several basic factors: terrain, soil, climate, variety, technology, quality, reputation, etc. But if only one name is missing, there will be no Cru. Without Cru, there will be no Cru. No longer developed and created by humans, Cru is the result of natural values ??and man-made quality factors.
People understand the importance of land. It is the foundation of grape plantations. Its efficiency depends on the surface and underground soil, its water system and its development direction. People can classify their vineyards according to topological principles, and they can also distinguish between wines from riverside areas, wines from coastal areas, mountain wines, wines from plateau areas, foothills wines, wines from valleys and wines from plains areas. Each terrain has its own scenery, and each situation deserves a special type of wine. Famous vineyards are located on poor soils, usually on the mid-slopes of hills or on gravelly summit terraces. Balanced with plants and water, this is Cru with personality. Compared with drought, the ripening of grapes is more afraid of excess water. With the different permeability of the soil, the degree of continuous moisture at the roots of the grapevine is different, and the quality of the grape fruit is also different. Although we don’t know the mechanism very well, it must be that water storage in the soil gives more productivity. The grape particles are fatter, the harvest period is delayed, the acidity is stronger, the color is poor, the total tannin content is not high, and the aroma of the fruit ears is not. good, resulting in a bland wine in the end.
In addition, people also know the important role of grape varieties. Certain varieties are cultivated in France, but only seven red grape varieties and nine white grape varieties are marked as valuable varieties. People also know the nomenclature classes and their Cru classification. It cannot be said exactly that Cru is the designation of origin. In Bordeaux or in many other regions, Cru divides and dominates the nomenclature.
Finally, we quote a passage from Gatheron as the conclusion of this article: "Cru is the most practical and interesting expression of the eternal relationship between man and nature. It is a reflection of people's efforts and progress." A reward for people's observation and creative work is to establish an artificial and stable ecosystem that can maintain the productivity of the soil and the high quality of its products, instead of the underdeveloped natural ecosystem. Cru is often an expression of quality. It refers to delicious food and is also a concentrated expression of biological genetic ability."