Terroir analysis and its complexity

Terroir is not just a geographical site, but also a complex concept aiming to express the "collectiveknowledge of the interactions" between the environment and the vines mediated through humanaction, "providing distinctive characteristics" to the final product (OIV 2010).In the popular press, it is often treated and communicated without a proper understanding ofthe mechanistic relationships between the wine characteristics and the site. These relationshipsare primarily rooted in the physical environment, particularly in the interactions between thesoil-plant and atmosphere system, affecting grapevine physiology, grape composition and wine.Comprehension of the phenomena starts with viticulture zoning techniques, a crucial first stepin mapping, describing and further studying terroirs. Viticulture zoning can be carried out withdiverse empiricism and expertise and achieving different level of details in describing complexbiophysical processes. Spatial and temporal scales can vary across studies, and not all of themhave been able to capture the multidisciplinary nature of the terroir.The scientific understanding of the mechanisms ruling vineyard variability and grapecomposition is one of the most critical scientific focuses of terroir research. This knowledge cancontribute to the analysis of climate change impacts on terroir resilience, the identification ofnew suitable land for viticulture, and the precise management of vineyards to reach a specificoenological goal.This article gives an overview of the latest approaches to terroir studies and of new zoningtechnology, with particular attention to their importance in supporting terroir resilience toclimate change.