"A Merciless Source of Happy Memories": Gaston Roupnel and the Folklore of Burgundian Terroir

The period between the two world wars (1919–1939) saw a flowering of French regional culture. Held up as a more authentic complement (and sometimes alternate) to national French culture, Burgundian regionalism was anchored in the concept of terroir, the belief that geography played a role in contributing specific qualities to local culture and products such as wine. Gaston Roupnel, a Burgundian provincial folklorist, was especially important in efforts to link terroir and Burgundian regional culture through the figure of the modern rustic vigneron (viniculturalist/vintner).