The Latin/Greek term (autós = self, chthón = earth) means "long-established, indigenous, native" and, in terms of geology and biology, refers to the origin or occurrence at the place of discovery. The opposite of "autochthonous" is "allochthonous", which means that something originated elsewhere or is not native to the place where it was found. A related term is "endemic", which means that something "occurs locally" or is "widespread in a particular area", or only occurs there and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. However, unlike autochthonous, it does not necessarily have to have originated there.

Typical autochthonous grape varieties from 5 countries: 1 = Grüner Veltliner (Austria), 2 = Silvaner (Germany), 3 = Tempranillo (Spain ), 4 = Sangiovese (Italy), 5 = Xinomavro (Spain)
![]()
wein.plus is a handy, efficient guide to a quick overview of the colourful world of wines, winegrowers and grape varieties. In Wine lexicon, the most comprehensive of its kind in the world, you will find around 26,000 keywords on the subject of grape varieties, wineries, wine-growing regions and much more.
Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)