Glossary
Terroir
A French concept covering soil, subsoil, climate, aspect, altitude and local practice — everything about a place that shapes the wine. It is a genuinely useful idea that is also frequently used to smuggle in unsupported claims.
In more detail
The well-evidenced parts are climatic and physical: sun exposure, drainage, water availability and temperature demonstrably change how grapes ripen.
The weakly evidenced part is direct mineral transfer from soil to flavour. WineHQ separates the two rather than treating the whole concept as either gospel or nonsense.