The French elegantly use the word “terroir” (ter-war) to describe the specific characteristics of an earthly location that’s usually applied to grape-growing areas. In his witty book “What the French?!” Olivier Magny says, “Terroir is somewhereness; it is the essence of a place, its signature. It is what’s unique, nonreproducible and singular about it.”
That’s one of the best definitions I’ve heard for “terroir.” Along with wines and foods, the term can also be applied to beautiful rivers, stunning forests, rock formations and even cultural habits. It’s knowing where you are by seeing certain sights, or behaviors like the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. In Paris, it’s the Champs Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe or the Seine River flowing by Notre Dame Cathedral; you see them and you know exactly where you are.
In the Rhone Valley of France, terroir is vineyards that are closely planted up steep hillsides along the river, reaching as far as the eye can see. Yet it goes deeper than just a visual impression. In wine and cheesemaking, it’s what’s in the Earth that counts (terroir comes from the word Earth). The soil content may go back millennia caused by glaciers, volcanoes and climate changes that create the uniqueness of each area’s terroir. It’s the minerals and bacteria that make up a special soil quality that’s then enhanced by an area’s climate.
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