What is terroir?

Terroir is a French term that means soil or earth and is generally used to refer to all the physical and environmental characteristics in and around a particular vineyard that influence the quality of wine — climate, soil composition and geographical location. Without a direct English equivalent, terroir specifically refers to the consistent, distinctive qualities in wine that are not the results of the variety of the grape or the skills of the grower and winemaker. Terroir plays a large role in defining specific geographic wine regions.