Terroir is essentially the geographical, environmental and climatic elements of grape-growing (that allow the same grape grown in two different places to make two completely distinct wines).

Here is a non-exhaustive list of elements that make up terroir:

  • Soil type
  • Hours of sun in a day
  • Amount of precipitation
  • Type of terrain
  • Elevation
  • Direction and angle of vineyard slope
  • Amount of wind
  • Proximity to bodies of water
  • Difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures
  • Etc.

As an example, NZ sauvignon blanc and its telltale aromas of gooseberry, grassiness and occasionally cat pee (!) is a completely different wine compared to the citrus and minerality-driven Sancerre, i.e. sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley in France.