terroir

noun

ter·​roir ˌter-ˈwär 

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

The unique Andean terroir … provides Bolivian winemakers with … a unique product as the result.

—Marianne Perez-Fransius

also : a similar combination of factors that affects the characteristic flavor of other beverages or foods or their ingredients

As with wine, terroir can influence the taste of tequila.

—Lauren Hubbard

Examples of terroir in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This modern methodology, also frequently employed by ascendent jazz jammers SML, adds artful friction to the Prairiewolf terroir. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 17 July 2026

Volcán Barú’s rich soil, high altitude, and collision of weather patterns from two oceans produce an almost theatrical mix of sun, soil, moisture, and terroir. — Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Riedler credits Patrick Barlow, one of her first bosses at Vino Carta wine store in Little Italy, for giving her the foundation to begin building her knowledge of the world’s wine regions, grapes and terroir. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026

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
• alvar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar