Terroir, for wine, means the connection between the distinctive characteristics of wine and its geographical origin, including: soil, climate, topography, landscape characteristics and biodiversity features.
What does terroir mean?
Vitivinicultural terroir, according to viticulture experts at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), is defined as:
An area in which collective knowledge of the interactions between the identifiable physical and biological environment and applied vitivinicultural practices develops, providing distinctive characteristics for the products originating from this area.
Terroir includes:
- Specific soil
- Topography
- Climate
- Landscape characteristics
- Biodiversity features
Terroir is a French term that originally designated a soil conferring particular properties to a wine. Nowadays, it designates a broader definition as outlined above.
