All Soils

Question 1

Acid Soils

Answer 1

Any soil that has a pH of less than 7 (neutral). Typical acidic soils that are acidic due to their parent rock include brown or reddish-brown, sandy loams or sands, volcanic soils, and any igneous or silicate-rich soil. Neutral soils can become acidic from too much humus or acid rain. Acid soils are low in calcium and magnesium, with negligible amounts of soluble salts and reduced phosphorous availability.

Question 2

Aeolian soil

Answer 2

Sediments deposited by wind (eg, loess). Albariza White-surfaced soil formed by diatomaceous deposits, found in southern Spain.

Question 3

Alberese

Answer 3

A compact clay and limestone found in the Chianti region. Albero Synonymous with albariza.

Question 4

Albian

Answer 4

A type of schist found in Maury, Roussillon.

Question 5

Alkaline soil

Answer 5

Any soil that has a pH of more than 7 (neutral). Typical alkaline soils include chalk and any calcareous soils.

Question 6

Alluvial deposits

Answer 6

(noun – alluvium) Material that has been transported by river and deposited. Most alluvial soils contain silt, sand, and gravel and are highly fertile.

Question 7

Aqueous rocks

Answer 7

One of the three basic rock forms (see Rock). Also called sedimentary or stratified.

Question 8

Arenaceous rocks

Answer 8

Formed by the deposits of coarse-grained particles, usually siliceous, and often decomposed from older rocks (eg, sandstone).

Question 9

Arène

Answer 9

A coarse, granitic sand ideally suited to the Gamay, arène is found in the Beaujolais region.

Question 10

Argillaceous soil

Answer 10

This term covers a group of sedimentary soils, commonly clays, shales, mudstones, siltstones, and marls.

Question 11

Argovian marl

Answer 11

A chalky, clay-like marl found in many parts of the Côte des Beaune.

Question 12

Arkose

Answer 12

A red, Triassic sandstone consisting of feldspar, quartz, and clay minerals, arkose is often found in the Côtes d’Auvergne and parts of Beaujolais (eg, St-Amour).

Question 13

Aubuis

Answer 13

Found in the Touraine district of the Loire and highly rated for Chenin Blanc in Vouvray and Montlouis, aubuis is a stony mix of permeable, fertile, calcareous clays that are said to be well suited to white grape varieties.

Question 14

Barro

Answer 14

A similar soil to albariza but brown in colour, sandier, and with less diatomaceous content. While Palomino grapes are grown on albariza soil, barro is reserved for Pedro Ximénez grapes.

Question 15

Basalt material

Answer 15

This accounts for as much as 90 per cent of all lava-based volcanic rocks. It contains various minerals, is rich in lime and soda, but not quartz, the most abundant of all minerals, and it is poor in potash.

Question 16

Bastard soil

Answer 16

A Bordelais name for medium-heavy, sandy-clay soil of variable fertility.

Question 17

Bauxite

Answer 17

As well as being a valuable ore mined for aluminium production, bauxite is found in limestone soils of Coteaux de Baux-de-Provence.

Question 18

Block-like soil

Answer 18

Referring to the soil structure, “block-like” indicates an angular or slanting arrangement of soil particles.

Question 19

Boulbènes

Answer 19

A Bordelais name for a very fine siliceous soil that is easily compressed and hard to work. This “beaten” earth covers part of the Entre-Deux-Mers plateau.

Question 20

Boulder See

Answer 20

Particle size

Question 21

Calcareous clay

Answer 21

Argillaceous soil with carbonate of lime content that neutralizes the clay’s intrinsic acidity. Its low temperature also delays ripening, so wines produced on this type of soil tend to be more acidic.

Question 22

Calcareous soil

Answer 22

Any soil, or mixture of soils, with an accumulation of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Essentially alkaline, it promotes the production of acidity in grapes, although the pH of each soil will vary according to its level of “active” lime. Calcareous soils are cool, with good water retention. With the exception of calcareous clays (see above), they allow the vine’s root system to penetrate deeply and provide excellent drainage. Carbonaceous soil Soil that is derived from rotting vegetation under anaerobic conditions. The most common carbonaceous soils are peat, lignite, coal, and anthracite.

Question 23

Chalk

Answer 23

A type of limestone, chalk is a soft, cool, porous, brilliant-white, sedimentary, alkaline rock that encourages grapes with a relatively high acidity level. It also allows the vine’s roots to penetrate and provides excellent drainage, while at the same time retaining sufficient moisture for nourishment. One of the few finer geological points that should be adhered to is that which distinguishes chalk from the numerous hard limestone rocks that do not possess the same physical properties.

Question 24

Clay

Answer 24

A fine-grained argillaceous compound with malleable, plastic characteristics and excellent water-retention properties. It is, however, cold, acid, offers poor drainage, and, because of its cohesive quality, is hard to work. An excess of clay can stifle the vine’s root system, but a proportion of small clay particles mixed with other soils can be advantageous.

Question 25

Clayey-loam

Answer 25

A very fertile version of loam, but heavy to work under wet conditions, with a tendency to become waterlogged.

Question 26

Cobble See

Answer 26

Particle size Colluvial deposits (noun – colluvium) Weathered material transported by gravity or hill-wash.

Question 27

Crasse de fer

Answer 27

Iron-rich hard-pan found in the Libournais area of France. Also called machefer.

Question 28

Crystalline

Answer 28

May be either igneous (eg, granite) or metamorphic.

Question 29

Dolomite

Answer 29

A calcium-magnesium carbonate rock. Many limestones contain dolomite.

Question 30

Entroques

Answer 30

Type of hard limestone found in Burgundy (eg, Montagny).

Question 31

Feldspar or Felspar

Answer 31

One of the most common minerals, feldspar is a white- or rose-coloured silicate of either potassium-aluminium or sodium-calcium-aluminium and is present in a number of rocks, including granite and basalt.

Question 32

Ferruginous clay

Answer 32

Iron-rich clay.

Question 33

Flint

Answer 33

A siliceous stone that stores and reflects heat and is often associated with a certain “gun-flint” smell that sometimes occurs in wines, although this is not actually proven and may simply be the taster’s auto-suggestion.

Question 34

Gabbro

Answer 34

A dark, coarse-grained igneous rock found in Muscadet.

Question 35

Galestro

Answer 35

Rocky, schistous clay soil commonly found in most of Tuscany’s best vineyards.

Question 36

Glacial moraine

Answer 36

A gritty scree that has been deposited by glacial action.

Question 37

Gore

Answer 37

A pinkish, decomposed, granitic arenaceous soil found in Beaujoalais, St Joseph, and Côtes Roannaise.

Question 38

Gneiss

Answer 38

A coarse-grained form of granite.

Question 39

Granite

Answer 39

A hard, mineral-rich rock that warms quickly and retains its heat. Granite contains 40 to 60 per cent quartz and 30 to 40 per cent potassium feldspar, plus mica or hornblende, and various other minerals. It has a high pH that reduces wine acidity. Thus, in Beaujolais, it is the best soil for the acidic Gamay grape. It is important to note that a soil formed from granite is a mixture of sand (partly derived from a disintegration of quartz and partly from the decomposition of feldspar with either mica or hornblende), clay, and various carbonates or silicates derived from the weathering of feldspar, mica, or hornblende.

Question 40

Gravel

Answer 40

A wide-ranging term that covers siliceous pebble of various sizes that are loose, granular, airy, and afford excellent drainage. Infertile, it encourages the vine to send its roots down deep in search of nutrients. Gravel beds above limestone subsoils produce wines with markedly more acidity than those above clay.

Question 41

Greensand

Answer 41

A dark greenish coloured, glauconite-rich sand of Cretaceous origin found in some vineyards in southeast England. Greensand is used as a water softener, which is ironic considering that it is found over chalk subsoil, known for its hard water.

Question 42

Greywacke

Answer 42

Argillaceous rocks that could have been formed as recently as a few thousand years ago by rivers depositing mudstone, quartz, and feldspar. Commonly found in Germany, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Question 43

Gypsum

Answer 43

Highly absorbent, hydrated calcium-sulphate that was formed during the evaporation of sea-water.

Question 44

Gypsiferous marl

Answer 44

A marly soil permeated with Keuper or Muschelkalk gypsum fragments, which improve the soil’s heat-retention and water-circulation properties.

Question 45

Hard-pan

Answer 45

A dense layer of clay that forms if the subsoil is more clayey than the topsoil at certain depths. As hard-pans are impermeable to both water and roots, they are not desirable too close to the surface but may provide an easily reachable water-table if located deep down. A sandy, iron-rich hard-pan known as iron-pan is commonly found in parts of Bordeaux.

Question 46

Hornblende

Answer 46

A silicate of iron, aluminium, calcium, and magnesium, it constitutes the main mineral found in basalt and is a major component of granite and gneiss.

Question 47

Humus

Answer 47

Organic material that contains bacteria and other micro-organisms that are capable of converting complex chemicals into simple plant foods. Humus makes soil fertile; without it, soil is nothing more than finely ground rock.

Question 48

Igneous rock

Answer 48

One of the three basic rock forms (see Rock), igneous rocks are formed from molten or partially molten material. Most igneous rocks are crystalline.

Question 49

Iron-pan

Answer 49

A sandy, iron-rich hard-pan.

Question 50

Jory

Answer 50

A volcanic soil, primarily basalt, which is in turn a hard and dense soil that often has a glassy appearance. One of the two primary soil types found in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, particularly on the lower foothills, such as the Dundee Hills, where Pinot Noir excels.

Question 51

Keuper

Answer 51

Often used when discussing wines in Alsace, Keuper is a stratigraphic name for the Upper Triassic period and can mean marl (varicoloured, saliferous grey, or gypsiferous grey) or limestone (ammonoid).

Question 52

Kimmeridgian Soil

Answer 52

A greyish-coloured limestone originally identified in, and so named after, the village of Kimmeridge in Dorset, England. A sticky, calcareous clay containing this limestone is often called Kimmeridgian clay.

Question 53

Lacustrine limestone

Answer 53

A freshwater limestone that forms at the bottom of lakes. Lacustrine-limestone soils have been found on Pelee Island and the Niagara district of Ontario, Yakima Valley in Washington, and Quincy in the Loire Valley.

Question 54

Lignite

Answer 54

The “brown coal” of Germany and the “black gold” of Champagne, this is a brown carbonaceous material intermediate between coal and peat. Warm and very fertile, it is mined and used as a natural fertilizer in Champagne.

Question 55

Limestone

Answer 55

Any sedimentary rock consisting essentially of carbonates. With the exception of chalk, few limestones are white, with grey- and buff-coloured probably the most commonly found limestone in wine areas. The hardness and water retention of this rock vary, but being alkaline it generally encourages the production of grapes with a relatively high acidity level.

Question 56

Loam

Answer 56

A warm, soft, crumbly soil with roughly equal proportions of clay, sand, and silt. It is perfect for large-cropping mediocre-quality wines but too fertile for fine wines.

Question 57

Loess

Answer 57

An accumulation of wind-borne, mainly silty material, that is sometimes calcareous but usually weathered and decalcified. It warms up relatively quickly and also has good water-retention properties.

Question 58

Machefer See

Answer 58

Crasse de fer

Question 59

Macigno

Answer 59

Hard grey-blue sandstone found in the Chianti region.

Question 60

Marl

Answer 60

A cold, calcareous clay-like soil (usually 50 per cent clay content) that delays ripening and adds acidity to wine.

Question 61

Marlstone

Answer 61

Clayey limestone that has a similar effect to marl.

Question 62

Metamorphic rocks

Answer 62

One of the three basic categories of rock (see Rock), this is caused by great heat or pressure, often both.

Question 63

Mica

Answer 63

A generic name encompassing various silicate minerals, usually in a fine, decomposed-rock format. Millstone Siliceous, iron-rich, sedimentary rock.

Question 64

Mudstone

Answer 64

A sedimentary soil similar to clay but without its plastic characteristics.

Question 65

Muschelkalk

Answer 65

Often used when discussing wines in Alsace, Muschelkalk is a stratigraphic name for the Middle Triassic period and can mean anything from sandstone (shelly, dolomitic, calcareous, clayey, pink, yellow, or millstone) to marl (varicoloured or fissile), dolomite, limestone (crinoidal or grey), and shingle.

Question 66

Oolite

Answer 66

A type of limestone. Oolith A term used for small, round, calcareous pebbles that have grown through fusion of very tiny particles.

Question 67

Palus

Answer 67

A bordelais name for a very fertile soil of modern alluvial origin that produces medium-quality, well-coloured, robust wines.

Question 68

Particle size

Answer 68

The size of a rock determines its descriptive name. No handful of soil will contain particles of a uniform size, unless it has been commercially graded, of course, so all such descriptions can only be guesstimates, but it is worth noting what they should be, otherwise you will have nothing to base your guesstimates on. According to the Wentworth-Udden scale, they are: boulder (greater than 256mm), cobble (64mm–256mm), pebble (4mm–64mm), gravel (2mm–4mm), sand (1⁄16mm–2mm), silt (1⁄256mm–1⁄16mm) and clay (smaller than 1⁄256mm). Notice that even by this precise scale, Wentworth and Udden have allowed overlaps, thus a 1⁄16mm particle might either be sand or silt and, of course, sub-divisions are possible within each group, as there is such a thing as fine, medium, or coarse sand and even gritty silt.

Question 69

Pebble

Answer 69

See Particle Size

Question 70

Pelite

Answer 70

Fine-grained clayey-quartz sedimentary rock found in Banyuls.

Question 71

Peperite

Answer 71

Limestone or marly rock found on Madeira and along Idaho’s Snake River Valley that has been ejected by volcanic activity and is literally “peppered” with tiny peppercorn-like grains of basalt.

Question 72

Perlite

Answer 72

A fine, powdery, light, and lustrous substance of volcanic origin with similar properties to diatomaceous earth.

Question 73

Perruches

Answer 73

Very stony, flinty clays combined with silica, perruches soils warm up quickly and are said to be why Sauvignon Blanc grown on them have a flinty taste.

Question 74

Phtanite

Answer 74

Dark-coloured sedimentary rock bearing stratas of quartz crystals, found in Savennières and Coteaux du Layon Platy soil Referring to the soil structure, “platy” indicates a horizontal alignment of soil particles.

Question 75

Porphyry

Answer 75

A coloured igneous rock with high pH.

Question 76

Precipitated salts

Answer 76

A sedimentary deposit. Water charged with acid or alkaline material, under pressure of great depth, dissolves various mineral substances from rocks on the sea-bed, which are then held in solution. When the water flows to a place of no great depth or is drained away or evaporates, the pressure is reduced, the minerals are no longer held in solution and precipitate in deposits that may be just a few centimetres or several thousand metres deep. There are five groups: oxides, carbonates, sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides.

Question 77

Prism-like soil

Answer 77

Referring to the soil structure, “prism-like” indicates a columnar or vertical arrangement of soil particles.

Question 78

Pudding stones

Answer 78

A term used for a large, heat-retaining conglomerate of pebbles.

Question 79

Quartz

Answer 79

The most common and abundant mineral, quartz is the crystalline form of silica. It is found in various sizes and in almost all soils, although sand and coarse silt contain the largest amount. Quartz has a high pH, which reduces wine acidity, but quartz that is pebble-sized or larger, stores and reflects heat, which increases alcohol potential.

Question 80

Red earth

Answer 80

Terra Rosa

Question 81

Rock

Answer 81

A rock may be loosely described as a mass of mineral matter. There are three basic types of rock: igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary (or aqueous or stratified).

Question 82

Ruedas

Answer 82

Red sandy-limestone soil found in the Montilla-Moriles region of Spain.

Question 83

Ruffe

Answer 83

A fine-grained, brilliant-red sandstone soil rich in iron-oxide, ruffe is found in parts of the Languedoc region of France, particulary the Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Salagou.

Question 84

Safres

Answer 84

A sandy-marl found in the southern Rhône Valley. Saibro A decomposed red tufa soil that is highly regarded in Madeira.

Question 85

Sand

Answer 85

Tiny particles of weathered rocks and minerals that retain little water but constitute a warm, airy soil that drains well and is supposedly phylloxera-free.

Question 86

Sandstone

Answer 86

Sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized particles that have either been formed by pressure or bound by various iron minerals.

Question 87

Sandy-loam

Answer 87

Warm, well-drained, sand-dominated loam that is easy to work and suitable for early-cropping grape varieties.

Question 88

Schist

Answer 88

Heat-retaining, coarse-grain, laminated, crystalline rock that is rich in potassium and magnesium but poor in nitrogen and organic substances.

Question 89

Scree

Answer 89

Synonymous with colluvium deposits.

Question 90

Sedimentary rock

Answer 90

One of the three basic rock forms (see Rock), it includes arenaceous (eg, sandstone), argillaceous (eg, clay), calcareous (eg, limestone), carbonaceous (eg, peat, lignite, or coal), siliceous (eg, quartz), and the five groups of precipitated salts, (oxides, carbonates, sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides). Sedimentary rocks are also called aqueous or stratified.

Question 91

Shale

Answer 91

Heat-retaining, fine-grain, laminated, moderately fertile sedimentary rock. Shale can turn into slate under pressure.

Question 92

Shingle

Answer 92

Pebble- or gravel-sized particle rounded by water-action. Siliceous soil A generic term for acid rock of a crystalline nature. It may be organic (such as flint) or inorganic (quartz) and have good heat retention, but no water retention unless found in a finely ground form in silt, clay, and other sedimentary soils. Half of the Bordeaux region is covered with siliceous soils.

Question 93

Silt

Answer 93

A very fine deposit, with good water retention. Silt is more fertile than sand but is cold and offers poor drainage.

Question 94

Slate

Answer 94

Hard, often dark grey (but can be any colour between brown and bluish grey), fine-grain, plate-like rock formed under pressure from clay, siltstone, shale, and other sediments. It warms up quickly, retains its heat well, and is responsible for many fine wines, most notably from the Mosel.

Question 95

Slaty-schist

Answer 95

A sort of half-formed slate created under lower temperature and pressure than fully formed slate.

Question 96

Spiroidal soil

Answer 96

Referring to the soil structure, “spiroidal” indicates a granular or crumb-like composition of soil particles.

Question 97

Steige

Answer 97

A type of schist found on the north side of Andlau in Alsace, it has metamorphosed with the Andlau granite and is particularly hard and slaty. It has mixed with the granitic sand from the top of the Grand Cru Kastelberg and makes a dark, stony soil. Stone This word should be used with rock types, such as limestone and sandstone, but is often used synonymously with pebble.

Question 98

Stratified rock

Answer 98

One of the three basic rock forms (see Rock); also called sedimentary or aqueous.

Question 99

Terra rossa

Answer 99

A red, clay-like, sometimes flinty sedimentary soil that is deposited after carbonate has been leached out of limestone. It is often known as “red earth”.

Question 100

Terres blanches

Answer 100

Steep Kimmeridgian marls in Sancerre.

Question 101

Tufa

Answer 101

A limestone concretion that forms via water dripping through gaps in limestone, tufa is typical of the soil of Orvieto, Umbria, and is also found in Montalcino, Tuscany, as well as the Langhe region of Piedmont.

Question 102

Tuff

Answer 102

Rocks formed by fractured or water-bound material ejected by volcanic activity, tuff drains well and is found in Taburno, Campania, in Italy; Balatonfüred-Csopak, Balatonfelvidék and Balatonboglár around Lake Balaton in Hungary; and the Galilee region of Israel, particularly Upper Galilee and the Golan Hights.

Question 103

Tuffau

Answer 103

A buff-coloured, sandstone-rich, otherwise chalky limestone as found in the Loire, particularly around Touraine, and used in the construction of many of its châteaux.

Question 104

Volcanic soils

Answer 104

Derived from two sources, volcanic soils are lava-based (the products of volcanic flow) and vent-based (material blown into the atmosphere). Some 90 per cent of lava-based rocks and soils are comprised of basalt, while others include andesite, pitchstone, rhyolite, and trachyte. Vent-based matter has either been ejected as molten globules, cooled in the air, and dropped to earth as solid particles (pumice), or as solid material and fractured through the explosive force with which it was flung (tuff).

Question 105

Willakenzie

Answer 105

A silty clay-loam colluvium, this is one of the two primary soil types found in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.