Extending the concept of terroir from grapes to other agricultural commodities: an overview

Abstract

The term terroir is widely used in oenology to link geographical origin and environmental conditions used for grapes training with the sensorial and hedonistic value of the wine. Overall, this definition includes the pedo-climatic (such as soil type and climate) as well as agronomic practices able to affect the composition of a plant-derived food. This concept is rather underestimated in matrices other than wine, even though recent advance in analytics is providing clear evidence that the organoleptic and nutritional value of foods is strongly affected by the area of cultivation. This mini review reports the molecular basis of the effect of terroir on phytochemical profile and highlights the need to extend this concept from grape to other crops and food products, thus linking geographical origin and quality of agricultural commodities.