🌿 Terroir

Terroir is everything that makes a place special for wine. The word is French and comes from the word for "land". Terroir includes soil, climate, slope, altitude and the work of people. The same grape on different sites gives different wines.

Soil affects how roots get water and nutrients. Climate decides how much warmth and rain the vine receives. The slope decides how much sun reaches the berries. Altitude makes nights cooler and helps keep acidity. And people choose varieties and methods that suit the place, so they are part of terroir too.

The idea of terroir lies behind appellations of origin, especially in France and Europe. A striking example is the Burgundy climats: small plots with their own names where neighbouring rows give different tastes. Terroir is not just an advertising word: the taste of a place can be sensed. But scientists still find it hard to explain fully.