Terroir

Terroir (French terroir, from terre — “earth”) is one of the key concepts of winemaking and gastronomy, denoting the unique sum of the natural conditions of a particular locality that shape the inimitable character of a product grown there. The concept is most closely connected with wine, but it is also applied to coffee, tea, cheese, and olive oil.

Terroir is a complex interaction of many factors: the type and composition of the soil (stony, limestone, clay), the climate (the amount of sun, warmth, rain, winds), the relief (altitude, slope, orientation to the sun), and also the local flora and traditions of cultivation. That is why grapes of one variety grown on different terroirs yield wines quite different in flavour and aroma. The concept of terroir explains why a wine from a particular vineyard or region is unique and unrepeatable elsewhere. This idea underlies the European system of controlling the origin of wines (like the French AOC), where the name of a region is a guarantee of a certain style and quality. Belief in terroir is the conviction that the best products are born of a deep connection with a particular place. It is a philosophy that puts nature and authenticity at the centre.