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WSET D3 > Soil types > Flashcards

Soil types Flashcards

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1
Q

Rias Baixas soil

A
  • Sand gravel over granite
  • Free draining
  • Helps with high rainfall
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2
Q

La Mancha soil

A
  • Best sites has water-retaining cooling limestone
  • Some sandy plots
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3
Q

Bierzo soil

A
  • Plains fertile alluvia
  • Hillsides shallow poor slate slows, limits Mencia’s high vigour
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4
Q

Rueda soil

A
  • Gravel over sandy clay subsoil over limestone bedrock
  • Helps retaining water
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5
Q

Toro soil

A

Low water-retaining sandy soil

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6
Q

Aragon soil

A

Free draining rocks

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7
Q

Penedes soil

A

Sand clay, pockets of marine fossil limestone

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8
Q

Priorat soil

A

Mostly slate-based free draining soil known as “llicorella”

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9
Q

Monsant soil

A
  • Parcels of Priorat’s llicorella in the south
  • North and east have more limestone content
  • Generally more fertile than Priorat
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10
Q

Costers del Segre soil

A

Free-drained sand

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11
Q

Jumilla soil

A

Sand over limestone

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12
Q

La Mancha soil

A

Limestone and chalk is sought after as no river and low rainfall

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13
Q

Vinho Verde soil

A
  • Granitic bedrock with shallow topsoil of decomposed granite with a sandy texture
  • Great drainage
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14
Q

Douro soil

A

Schist with vertical cracks

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15
Q

Dao soil

A

Granite stoney

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16
Q

Bairrada soil

A
  • Light coloured limestone-clay with pebbles
  • Reflects light and warmth to late ripening Baga
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17
Q

Alentejo soil

A
  • Mix as it’s a big region
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18
Q

Colares soil

A

Phylloxera free sandy soil

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19
Q

Left Bank Bordeaux soil

A

Croupes, gravel mounds/hills

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20
Q

Saint-Estephe soil

A

Pockets of clay, not highly regarded as gravelly neighbouring appellations

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21
Q

Right Bank Bordeaux soil

A

Clay-heavy with limestone plateau closer to St-Emilion and gravelly section near Pomerol

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22
Q

Chablis soil

A
  • High limestone clay content
  • Kimmeridgian soil containing marine fossil
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23
Q

Beaujolais soil

A
  • Granite/schist based “pink schist soil”
  • Pockets of clay (Moulin-a-Vent ) and sand (Fleurie)
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24
Q

Moulin-a-Vent soil

A

Clay, gives power

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25
Q

Fleurie soil

A

Sand, gives light body

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26
Q

Rangen Grand Cru soil

A

Volcanic, sedimentary - smoky “gunpowder” notes

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27
Q

Kessler Grand Cru soil

A

Sand-clay-sandstone - ethereal

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28
Q

Brand Grand Cru Soil

A

Granite - “salty”

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29
Q

Muscadet soil

A

Free draining rocky sandy soil - schist and gneiss rock

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30
Q

Vouvray soil

A
  • Flint, clay and limestone over tuff
  • Good drainage and finese
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31
Q

Chinon, Bourgeil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeil soils

A
  • Three types: sand, gravel and clay-limestone
  • Sand lightest style
  • Clay-limestone the most structured and long lived
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32
Q

Sancerre soils (3)

A
  • Caillottes - thin soil over limestone - most aromatic
  • Terre Blanches - Kimmeridgian like Chablis - most closed by age worth
  • Sillex - flint and early ripening inducing - smoky, stony, least aging potential
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33
Q

Châteauneuf-du-Pape soils

A

Varied with limestone, clay, sandstone, sandy soils, mixed with galets

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34
Q

Bandol soil

A

Low fertility rocky limestone clay

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35
Q

Cahors soil

A

Rich alluvial soils deposited by River Lot

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36
Q

Madiran soils

A
  • Limestone clay with good drainage on the slopes, with more ageing potential
  • Clay and clay loam on flat lands, less tannic
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37
Q

Rheinhessen soils

A
  • Mostly fertile alluvial soils on Rhine banks
  • Also famous for iron-rich red soil of Roter Hang (slate, clay and sandstone), giving wines a “smoky” character
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38
Q

Rheinterrasse soil

A

Iron-rich red soil Roter Hang (slate, clay and sandstone)

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39
Q

Pfalz soils

A

A wide variety (limestone, sandstone, basalt and clay), giving a diversity of flavours and aromas for Pfalz wines

40
Q

Baden soils

A
  • Kaiserstuhl volcanic sedimentary soils giving full body and “smoky” character
  • Calcareous pockets around Tuniberg and Breisgau giving more acidity
41
Q

Mosel soils

A

Slate soils of varied colours - grey, blue, brown and red - each giving subtle terroir differences

42
Q

Franken soils

A
  • Chalky soils in the east, good for growing full bodied floral stoney Silvaner
  • Sandstone on its steep terraces in the west, good for Spatburgunder
43
Q

Rheingau soils

A
  • Sand, loam, loess in the east
  • Sandstone and slate in the west
  • Hochheim is where the differences become marked
44
Q

Ahr soil

A

Hea-retaining dark slate and dark sandstone called greywacke, good for ripening Spatburgunder

45
Q

Austrian soil types (2)

A
  1. Poorer thin soils over granite or gneiss on crystalline bedrock called “Urgestein”
  2. Richer soils such as loess
46
Q

Tokaj soils

A
  1. Nyirok - volcanic soil associated with power in wine
  2. Sandy silt loess that gives a lighter more delicate wine
47
Q

Greece soils

A

A mixture of everything but mostly low fertility lands

48
Q

Teroldego Rotaliano DOC soil

A

Gravelly soil

49
Q

Trentino DOC soils

A

Calcareous clay and basalt soils

50
Q

Alto-Adige soil

A

Volcanic porphyry, quartz, mica, and Dolomite limestone - giving a wide range of varieties to grow and ripen successfully

51
Q

Valpolicella soils

A
  • Limestone and clay over volcanic soils near the foothills
  • Gravel and sand for flatter plains
52
Q

La Morra soil

A

Blue marl - lighter and more aromatic style

53
Q

Serralunga d’Alba soil

A

Yellow-grey compacted sand and clay - most closed and need cellaring for 10-15 years

54
Q

Barolo commune soil

A

Blue marl - lighter and more aromatic style

55
Q

Chianti Classico soil types (3)

A
  1. Galestro - schistous, crumbly rock - aromatic
  2. Albarese - calcareous clay - structure and body
  3. Sand & Sandstone - “smoky”
56
Q

Montalcino soils

A

Schistous galestro higher elevation (lighter more aromatic) and clay in lower warmer parts (powerful and riper)

57
Q

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG soils

A

Cooling heavy clay and lighter sandy soil

58
Q

Aglianico del Vulture DOC soils

A

Clay, limestone, volcanic (stony, lava, ashy), giving excellent drainage while clay holds water for the drought period in the summer

59
Q

Dry Creek soils

A
  • Gravel sandy loam on the valley floor
  • Gravel red clay loam on the hills
  • Both free draining and limit vigour of Zin
60
Q

Russian River Valley soils

A
  • Vary - ranging from yellow sandstone to rocky sand clay loam
  • But generally free draining and low in nutrients
61
Q

Green Valley soil

A

Free draining sandstone, like many premium strips in Germany (Rheingau & Pfalz)

62
Q

Chalk Hill soil

A

White volcanic ash, good for Cab and Chards

63
Q

Napa soils

A
  • Middle and east of the valley floor rich alluvial silt and clay, retains water well
  • West of the valley floor gravely “benches” with mod fertility
  • Mountains generally have thin and low-nutrient soils
64
Q

Monterey AVA soil

A

Sandy loam and gravel, free draining and low nutrient

65
Q

Paso Robles soil

A
  • Calcareous clay throughout, like Rioja and Chianti Classico’s albarese
  • Very rare in California
  • Most AVAs are therefore dry farmed
66
Q

Sta Rita Hills soil

A
  • Diverse mix of soil thanks to the Transverse Ranges
  • Best high elevation sites tend to have calcium-rich (cooling) soils
67
Q

Lodi soil

A

Free draining sandy clay loam

68
Q

Sierra Foothills soil

A

Sandy clay loam from decomposed granite, retaining just enough water

69
Q

Oregon soils

A

Three types dominate, all free draining
1. Marine sedimentary/sandstone (like Green Valley)
2. Volcanic basalt (like Lanzarote)
3. Fine grained, mineral rich loess

70
Q

Dundee Hills soil

A

Iron-rich clay of volcanic basalt, good at retaining water in summer

71
Q

Williamette Valley soils

A
  • Fertile alluvial loam on the Valley floor, more suitable for Pinot Gris
  • Sandstone and volcanic basalt higher up, better for Pinot Noir
72
Q

Washington State soils

A

Complex but generally low water retention types: sandy and alluvial on hard basalt bedrock

73
Q

Ontario soils

A
  • Mixture of sedimentary and glacial
  • Areas around the lakes usually have high limestone content from exposed ancient seabed, rather like Chablis
74
Q

Argentina soils

A
  • Foothills: mostly fertile alluvial soils (clayey) washed down from the Andes
  • Middle sections: gravelly sand silts
  • High alt: calcareous deposits (cooling)
75
Q

Agrelo soil

A

Clay heavy, gives power

76
Q

Western Cape soils

A

Three types mainly, but all high acidity
1. Low nutrient sandstone, needs fertilisation and irrigation
2. Granite based, can hold a bit of water = suitable for dry farming
3. Shale based, good nutrient and water retention = suitable for dry farming

77
Q

Constantia soils

A

Decomposed granite over sandstone, good draining and can retain some water

78
Q

Stellenbosch soils

A
  • Sandy alluvial near False Bay
  • Granite and shale near Simonsberg, Stellenbosch Mountain and Helderberg
79
Q

Swartland soil

A

Predominantly low fertility granite and shale soils, resulting a lower average yield compared to Olifants River (like for like)

80
Q

Robertson soil

A

Alluvial with pockets of limestone

81
Q

Hemel-en-Aarde soils

A

Clay heavy soil, very rare for SA but common in Burgundy

82
Q

SE Australia superzone soil

A

Free draining sandy soil

83
Q

Barossa soil

A
  • Mixed low fertility ancient soils
  • Northern part most prized for ageworthy Shiraz for its ironstone
84
Q

Clare Valley soil

A
  • Slate soil around Polish Hill = less aromatic, flintier
  • Limestone soil around Watervale = more aromatic and floral
85
Q

McLaren Vale soil

A
  • Varying from sand to loam to clay, enabling diverse modes of production
  • Sandy soils newar Blewitt Springs can retain some water for old vine Grenache to survive
86
Q

Coonawarra soil

A
  • Terra rossa
  • Free draining iron-rich loam over hard limestone, limiting vines to root deep to find water
  • Soft water retaining limestone bedrock that acts like sponge for mid summer irrigation
  • Slightly alkaline, limiting vines to take in nutrients
87
Q

Yarra Valley soil

A

Fertile volcanic soil, holds water well

88
Q

Mornington Peninsula soil

A

Sandy with pockets of red basalt (Red Hill/Main Ridge)

89
Q

Orange soil

A

Decomposed volcanic with good water retention

90
Q

Gimblett Gravel soil

A

Gravelly soil like Bordelaise croupes

91
Q

Bridge Pa soil

A

Sandy clay loam, eliminating need for irrigation

92
Q

Hawke’s Bay soil

A
  • Different between subregions
  • Coastal stoney and free draining
  • Along the rivers are some alluvial deposit
  • Gimblett Gravel, Bridge Pa triangle renowned for Pauillac-esque gravels
93
Q

Wairau Valley soil

A
  • Mix gravel, silt, sand and loam
  • Free draining
  • “Sun stone” gravels retains warmth well
94
Q

Southern Valleys soil

A

Cooling clay soil, like Burgundy and Hemel-en-Aarde

95
Q

Gibbston altitude

A

Very high for NZ at 300-450m, the highest and coolest of Central Otago subregions

96
Q
A

WSET D3 (10 decks)

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