Terroir

Terroir is a word we've borrowed from the French and it's a bit elusive, a tough word to nail down. People define terroir in lots of ways and it means something a little different to everyone. So far, the best way I've heard it described is 'the taste of place.' A terroir is the subtle interplay between several factors like soil, climate, nearby vegetation, etc. At the core of the notion of terroir is the belief that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality to the wine that is specific to that growing site. In discourses about wine, the terroir can be enhanced or muffled by a winemaker and in the case of 'authentic' wines, often the ultimate objective is to express the terroir in it's purest form.