Terroir

What is Terroir you ask? No it is not a wine but you can taste it in wine. Terroir comes from the word terre "land" a french term used to denote the special characteristics of the land the grapes are grown, the climate, geography etc. For example if grapes are grown near a grove or orange trees or olive trees, perhaps fields of lavender you might tastes these in the wine. If the climate is humid or dry or the soil rich or sandy.

When I think of wine, I think of terroir: I think of the essence of the land, the air, the sun blended together and refined into a thing of utter and wondrous beauty. An especially well-constructed wine transports me in one sip to the dry fields of Ribera del Duero in Spain or the beautiful landscape of  Tuscany in Italy though I have never been to those places, yet!

Over the centuries, winemakers developed the concept of terroir by observing the differences in wines from different regions, vineyards, or even different sections of the same vineyard. Vintners began to use the concept of terroir as a way of describing the unique aspects of a place that influence and shape the wine made from it

While wine experts disagree as to the exact definition, particular consideration is given to the natural elements that are generally considered beyond the control of humans. Some of the components often described as aspects of terroir include climate, soil type, topography and other plants growing in and around the vine plots.