Terroir applies specifically to wine, but let’s think bigger. Consider the definition of terroir, which is the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. Plug in cannabis for wine, and it still makes sense, right?

Cannabis that’s grown outdoors is exposed to such a vast interconnected web of environmental factors. An outdoor cannabis garden both receives from and contributes to the local ecology. The plants become one with the environment, woven into the same fabric as every other living thing around them. 

Let’s take a look at the use of terroir in the wine industry and see how we might apply that to cannabis. 

Unless the wine is produced in the Champagne region of France, it can’t be called “Champagne”. 

These specific parameters around artisanal products help to ensure consistency, preserve a sense of exclusivity, and bolster the economics of regional production. 

In addition to wine, other artisanal crops for which terroir may apply include cheese, coffee, single malt whisky, onions, tea, and of course our dear cannabis. 

Can we apply the concept of terroir for wine directly to cannabis?

For outdoor growers in the Emerald Triangle region of Northern California, and specifically in Humboldt county, unique and specific environmental factors which contribute to phenomenal cannabis quality abound. While high quality cannabis can grow in many different environments, there’s something very special about the incredible flavor, aroma, and effect of outdoor Humboldt weed.

The climate, soil type, and topography of the Emerald Triangle, and Humboldt in particular, is some of the best in the world for cultivating cannabis outdoors. 

Cultivars of cannabis are like varietals of grapes. The cannabinoid and terpene profiles of cultivars can be consistently produced year after year by certain cultivars grown in specific environments. This is the essence of terroir. A Wedding Cake cultivar grown outdoors in Eureka California will not produce the same results as a Wedding Cake grown in Athens Ohio. 

Is cannabis terroir simply clever marketing, a certain manufactured narrative that’s fabricated to plant seeds of suggestion in the mind of the consumer?

In 2020, California Governor Newsom weighed into this discussion by signing Senate Bill 67 into law. This bill reserved appellations of origin for very specific qualifications, which include that the cannabis must be grown in the ground, under full sun, at all times. Greenhouses, light deprivation techniques, shade covers, or artificial lights are prohibited. The cannabis must be grown purely enmeshed in the natural environment. This ensures that California’s cannabis appellations meet the same international standards as the wine industry. 

The rarity and exclusivity of certain terroir leaves the consumer with a distinct impression of the cannabis grown there. Just as no two fingerprints are exactly the same, every terroir manifests a totally unique environment for cannabis cultivation. Recognizing terroir imparts a value that may otherwise be lost in a purely commoditized cannabis product. 

Conclusion

Does terroir lend itself to true quality, or simply the illusion of quality? There are other agreed-upon benchmarks of quality, purity, and potency that we can use for cannabis, which can be verified with lab testing. But terroir, especially as it relates to such a mystical place as the Emerald Triangle, does contribute to the enjoyment and holistic experience of cannabis grown in that region. 

Just as cannabis plants manifest the unique terroir from where they’re grown, solventless concentrates can capture that essence to an even higher degree. 

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