Oenology is the study of wines in general. It addresses vine growing, fabrication of wine, and degustation. Merriam-Webster dictionary uses "Enology" as the preferred spelling.

The name is derived from Greek "oinos", meaning wine.

Natural aspects

From a natural point of view, the characteristics of a wine are determined by two factors : vine and terroir. A vine is a type of grape fruit, each type has different characteristics, grows best in some kind of climate...

The terroir (terre = "earth" in French) is the name used to describe aspects of wine linked with geological or climatological facts. In fact, the type of grape is not the only factor affecting the final taste. Nature of soil (chalk, silice,...), number of days of sunshine, and humidity play a big part as well. Contrary to other plants, grapevine must not be "satisfied" to obtain good results. One says that vine has to suffer, such as from lack of water or from cold, in order to produce the best grape.