"Terroir"(pronounced tair-wah) is a word you may hear a bit when someone is talking about winemaking. This French word is derived from “terre,” which means land. To put it simply, it's all of the things that come into play during the winegrowing process. The complete setting and environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the climate, soil, elevation, sunlight, and locality; the surrounding natural and man-made elements, which might include the slope of the land, and the plants, trees, and flowers growing nearby; it could even include the farming practices. Pretty much everything that contributes to giving the grapes their distinctive character..