Soil Type

Question 1

Igneo soils (from solidification of magma)

Answer 1

Volcanic (cooled magma) - Sicily
Drains well, holds water and retains and reflects heat. High proportions of iron sometimes impart an ashy, rusty taste to wines

Granite (cooled magma & Quartz) - Cornas, Rías Baixas
Its elevated pH promotes high acidity and blossoming aromas and flavours

Question 2

Metamorphic soils (transformed from another type of rock through heat and pressure over millions of years)

Answer 2

Slate - Mosel
It both absorbs and reflects heat, helping to ripen grapes.

Schist - Douro Valley, Ribeira Sacra
A hard, crystalline rock more dense than slate.
It retains heat well, producing big, powerful wines with rich minerality.

Gneiss - Wachau, Kamptal
Very hard, infertile soil, making it good for grape-growing

Question 3

Sedimentary soil (from solidified mineral or organic deposits from the Earth, often left by bodies of water)

Answer 3

Limestone - Burgundy, Champagne, Jerez
Finest wine-producing soil in the world.
It forms from the decomposed bodies of mollusks, fish, and other organic material that once lived in ancient seabeds and reefs.
Limestone and chalk (a type of limestone), drain well but also hold water for vines to absorb when needed

Sandstone - Chianti classico
Sandstone. Depending on what rocks the sandstone is but it commonly contains quartz and feldspar.

Silex/Flint - Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé
It stores and reflects heat well, providing ripeness in regions that might otherwise be too cold for grape growing.
It is often credited with giving wines a rich, flinty minerality.

Question 4

Soil texture (soils are defined by their textures, which are comprised of types of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks)

Answer 4

Sand - Barolo area, Monforte d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto
Because sand drains easily it works well in wet climates but is problematic for droughts
It is, however, often phylloxera-free since the pest can’t survive its texture.
It produces delicates, rounded, wines

Clay - Pomerol
Clay expands and contracts with water, a savior in dry times.
Clay imparts thick and round texture

Gravel - Left Bank Bordeaux, Cháteauneuf-du-Pape
It absorbs heat and reflects it onto grape varieties, particularly at night when temperatures tend to cool

Loam - Barossa Valley
A warm, soft, crumbly mix of sand and clay.
Loam can sometimes be too fertile for quality winemaking. But when blended with other soils in the right amounts, it can make powerful wines.

Alluvium - Napa Valley (Rutherford, Yountville)
Alluvial soil is a blend of soils, comprised of a combination of clay, sand, and gravel