The term "Terroir" comes from French and encompasses a complex interplay of different factors in the vineyard. Literally translated, it would mean "region", but as mentioned: that doesn't really capture it.
It's about the interplay of all factors that define the location of the grapevine. The soil and its characteristics, the climate, weather conditions, geographical and biological properties. All factors work together and ultimately make the wine what it is.
What soil factors have an impact?
Rock type, density, and water retention play an important role in the soil.
Soil with a high clay content, for example, is very dense, heavy, and has high water retention capacity. In this case, the vines have to expend a lot of energy to penetrate the soil with their roots, but they don't have to penetrate as deeply because the water supply is always well assured.
A loose, permeable soil, on the other hand, is, for example, slate. The slate plates lie on top of each other like a "sea of shards". Rainwater seeps down far and is not stored in the upper layers of the earth. The vines therefore sometimes have to penetrate many meters into the earth to the level of the groundwater to ensure their water supply.
About the location of a vineyard
Are the vineyards steep or flat? South-facing or east-facing? Are they in a wind tunnel, at the edge of a forest, or near the sea? Does the less intense morning sun shine on the vineyards, or the warm midday and evening sun?
These factors make a huge difference to the microclimate in the vineyard. A steep vineyard, for example, leads to more sun exposure in the grape zone. A flat vineyard leads to a more even water distribution.
Windy locations ensure rapid drying of the grapes after rain, thereby minimizing the risk of rot, but also usually make the berry skins more robust. In forest clearings, on the other hand, it is sometimes cooler, but also more protected.
In addition, there are influencing factors such as hours of sunshine, precipitation amounts, and the altitude of the vineyards.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the winemaker's craftsmanship is crucial to producing a good wine from the existing terroir. In the first step, it plays a decisive role to select the appropriate grape variety for the given terroir. In addition, the cultivation and care of the vineyards must be individually adapted to the existing environment.
And those who train their sense of taste a bit can later actually taste the terroir in the wine: for example, the mineral soils or the warm locations.
Conclusion: all factors that are naturally present in a vineyard, which the winemaker cannot influence, but which significantly affect the wine, are counted as terroir.
