terroir

noun

ter·​roir ˌter-ˈwär 

: the combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinctive character

Examples of terroir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Showcasing each is an exercise in terroir, and a flex of winemaking prowess but mark my words, all of Checkmate’s Chardonnays are beautiful and benchmark, threaded together by their draping acidity and tension. —Kate Dingwall, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

Master distiller Joe O’Sullivan at Minden Mill, another Nevada distillery, adds that estate certification furthers the concept of terroir in whiskey. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 June 2025

These areas give wines unique characteristics, especially Malbec, which best showcases Mendoza's terroir. —Jill Barth, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

According to winemakers, the most important reason to use native, indigenous, or naturally occurring yeast (all the same thing) is to make a complex wine that showcases its terroir. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, land, country, stretch of land in reference to its agricultural features, from Old French tieroir, from Vulgar Latin *terratorium, alteration of Latin territorium

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for terroir

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar