Terroir: This word comes from "terre" or land and is a word made by the French to define how the soil, weather, and geography of a place affect the wine. The best example of how terroir affects a wine is with the Brunello di Montalcino. This wine can only be grown outside of the city of Montalcino in central Italy. Its grown from Sangiovese grapes, but if they are grown anywhere else, this wine is called "Sangiovese".
DOC: Denominazione di Origine Controllata - This label given to wines from Italy is a quality assurance label that says that this wine (or food product) comes from where it says it comes from. I.e. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is labeled with this designation so the Italian Agricultural Ministry label says that this wine is from Montepulciano.
DOCG: Denominazione do Origine Controllata e Garantita - This label given to wines from Italy is a higher designation than the DOC label. It means that this product is guaranteed and controlled. I.e. Chianti can only come from the Chianti region in Italy and all wines from this area must meet stricter guidelines including being tasted and tested by an Italian Agricultural Ministry official before it can be bottled. See examples of these labels here, pink for red wines and green for white wines.
