From Wine Politics, Tyler Colman

WHAT IS TERROIR?

The concept of terroir underpins the appellation system in France. One of those frustratingly difficult words to translate, it has been defined by Jan McInerney as "location, location, location." Essentially it means the growing area, starting with the soil (la terre) and the slope, and taking into account other elements of the vineyard's microclimate, such as sun, rain, wind and temperature fluctuations. Each terroir produces a unique wine, according to the partisans of terroir, sometimes whimsically called terroirists.