The diversity of potential sources of damage to the terroir of an appellation (physical, aesthetic, ecological damage, damage to the image, to collective representation or even, in a broad concept which will not be retained here, to the geographical name identifying the terroir) is accompanied by a fragmentation of the legal sources allowing its protection.

The Txakoli, a white wine produced in the Basque Country (North of Spain), has recently gained popularity due to wine quality improvement and increase in both acreages of production and wine consumption. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical and microbiological differences between Txakoli wines made with grapes from different sites.

Major factors involved in wine quality and typicity are soil type, climatic conditions, plant material (rootstock and cultivar), vineyard management practices and winemaking conditions.

Aroma fraction of musts from grapes ‘Pedro Ximenez’ traditionally sun-dried and chamber-dried at 40 ºC and at 50 ºC during 8, 5 and 4 days respectively, destined for the production of sweet wines in Montilla-Moriles region (southern Spain) was studied.

The concept of ‘terroir’ describes the interplay of the environmental factors that affect the grapevine. This includes but is not limited to climate, soil composition, vineyard management, topography, and geology.