An elegant correlation may come from a real cause, a hidden variable, or a convenient selection of examples. Terroir needs language that can preserve both explanation and uncertainty.
Four grades, four commitments
- Well established: mechanisms and observations converge in robust sources.
- Plausible: a coherent mechanism exists, but attribution in that case remains limited.
- Contested: qualified sources disagree or the effect depends strongly on context.
- Folklore: a culturally relevant tradition without enough support to be presented as a cause.
Folklore does not mean useless: it can explain identity, practice, and language. It only means it should not occupy the column reserved for demonstrated causality.
How to read an edge
Ask which factor was measured, which outcome was observed, what remained constant, and how directly the source supports that link. The source closest to the data should carry more weight than repetition of the same claim across many secondary texts.
Continue at the source
The OIV’s resolutions and standards show how technical definitions record scope, method, and limits — a useful model for responsible causal claims.