The Concept of Terroir
Regionality is a fundamental concept in the geography of wine. An important term associated with wine and the concept of regionality is terroir. The term terroir comes from the French word for “earth” or “soil”. It is a viticultural concept that summarizes the set of variables associated with a certain place that, together, impart a local character to its wine. These variables embody both cultural and physical characteristics.
The cultural aspects of terroir relate to the practices of the viticulturist in the vineyard and the winemaker in the winery. Both affect the regional character of a wine and represent the cultural side of terroir. The physical elements of terroir such as climate, geology, soil, land cover, and topography differ from place to place. The complex interactions of physical elements produce unique environments capable of supporting viticulture. The model presented in this research focuses on the physical elements of terroir (Blij, 1983; Cox, 1999; Johnson & Robinson, 2007; Poling, E. B. (Ed.). 2007; Sommers, 2008; Van Leeuwen & Seguin, 2006; Vaudour, 2002; White, 2009; Wolf, 1995).