- List of vineyard soil types
The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticultural consideration when planting grape vines. The
soil supports theroot structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount ofmineral s and nutrients that the vine is exposed to. The ideal circumstance for a vine is an area of thintopsoil andsubsoil that sufficiently retains waters but also has good drainage so that the vine roots don't become overly saturated. The ability of the soil to retain heat and/or reflect it back up to the vine is also an important consideration that affects the ripening of the grape. T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 16 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248 ]There are several minerals that are vital to the health of vines that all good vineyard soils have. These include
calcium which helps to neutralize theSoil pH levels,iron which is essential forphotosynthesis ,magnesium which is an important component ofchlorophyll ,nitrogen which is assimilated in the form ofnitrates ,phosphates which encourages root development, andpotassium which improves the vine metabolisms and increases it health for next year's crop.List of Soil Terms
"Unless otherwise noted the primary reference for this list is Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 2005"
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*Albariza - Formed by
diatomaceous deposits. Found in southernSpain
*Alluvial soil - Highly fertile soil that has been transported by a river. Often containsgravel ,sand andsilt .
*Basalt -Volcanic rock that is high inSodium carbonate andlimestone . Very lowquartz andpotash content.
*Boulbènes - Finesiliceous that is easily compressed and common in theEntre-Deux-Mers region ofBordeaux .
*Calcareous soil -Alkaline soil with high levels of calcium andMagnesium carbonate . Typically cool in temperature soil that provides good water retention and drainage. Calcareous clay soils have highlimestone content that neutralizes natural acidity of the soil. However the cool temperatures of the soil normally delay ripening in the grape which tends to produce more acidic wines.
*Carbonaceous soil - Soil produced through theanaerobic decomposition of rotting vegetation. This type of soil includesanthracite ,coal ,lignite andpeat .
*Chalk - Veryporous soft limestone soil that vine roots can easily penetrate. It provides good drainage and works best for grapes with high acidity levels.
*Clay -Sedimentary rock based soil that has good water retention ability but poor drainage. The soil is often very cool and high in acidity. The Right Bank ofBordeaux is dominated by clay based soils. E. S. Brown " [http://winegeeks.com/articles/139 The World's Top 10 Wine Soils] Wine Geeks 7/5/2007 ]D-H
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Dolomite - Calcium-magnesium carbonate soil.
*Flint - Siliceous stone that reflects and retain heat well. ThePouilly-Fumé wine of theLoire Valley is generally produced on Flint-based soil and is said to have "gun-flint" smell in the wine.
*Galestro -Schist based soil found in theTuscany region ofItaly .
*Granite - Composed of 40-60% quartz, 30-40%Orthoclase and various amounts ofhornblende ,mica , and other minerals. This soil warms quickly and retains heat well. The soil's high level of acidity works to minimize the acid levels in the grapes which works well with acidic grapes likeGamay . It is the main soil type of the Brand region ofAlsace .
*Gravel - Loose siliceous pebble soil that has good drainage but poor fertility. Vines planted in this type of soil must penetrate deeply to try to and find nutrients in the subsoil. Wine made from vines produces on clay gravel beds have less acidity then those planted on limestone gravel beds. TheGraves region of Bordeaux andSauternes is dominated by gravel based soil.
*Greywacke - Sedimentary soil formed by rivers depositing quartz,mudstone andfeldspar . It is found in vineyards ofGermany ,New Zealand andSouth Africa .
*Gypsum - Calciumsulfite based soil that is formed through theevaporation ofseawater . It is a high absorbent soil that has average drainage ability.
*Hardpan - A dense layer of clay that is impenetrable by roots and water. In some areas ofBordeaux , asand y iron-rich layer is located deep enough below the surface to act as awater table for the vine.I-Q
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Keuper - Soil type consisting ofmarl andlimestone common inAlsace dating back from theUpper Triassic period.
*Kimmeridgian soil - A gray colored limestone based soil originally identified inKimmeridge, England . Kimmeridgian clay is calcareous clay containing Kimmeridgian limestone. This is the principle soil type of theLoire Valley , Champagne andBurgundy regions.
*Lignite - soil type used as fertilizer inGermany and Champagne. It is a brown colored carbonaceous soil that is an intermediate betweenpeat andcoal .
*Limestone - Sedimentary based soil consisting ofcarbonates . The most common colored limestone found in wine producing area is buff-gray in color (with the exception of whitechalk ). The water retention abilities vary from composition but limestone is consistentlyalkaline and is generally planted with grapes of high acidity levels. This is the main soil type in theZinnkoepflé region of Alsace.
*Llicorella - A soil type found in theMontsant region of Spain. The soil is a mix of slate and quartz that dates back to thePaleolithic era. The soil is very porous and drains well.Syrah ,Grenache andCarignan have done well in this soil type.
*Loam - Warm, soft, fertile soil composed of roughly equal amounts ofsilt ,sand andclay . It is typically too fertile for high quality wines that need to limit yields in order to concentrate flavors.
*Loess - A silt-based soil composed of wind borne materials that are normally weathered and decalcified. The soil has good water retention and warming properties.
*Marl - Calcerous clay-based soil that is cold and adds acidity to the wine. Vine planted in this type of soil normally ripening later than in other soil types. Marlstone is a limestone based clay that acts similar to Marl.
*Mica -Silicate based soil composed of fine, decomposed rock formations.
*Muschelkalk -Soil type consisting of various compositions ofsandstone , marl,dolomite , andshingle common in Alsace dating back from theMiddle Triassic period.
*Perlite - Avolcanic soil type that is light, powdery and lustrous in characteristic with properties similar todiatomaceous earth .
*Quartz - Common material found in most vineyard soils-especially sand and silt based soils. The highSoil pH of quartz can reduce the acidity of the resulting wines but its heat retaining properties that stores and reflect heat can increase ripening of the grape which normally results in wine of higher alcohol content.-Z
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Sand - warm, airy soil that is composed of tiny particles of weathered rocks. One of the few soils that thephylloxera louse does not thrive in, the soil drain wells but does not have good water retention. Sandstone is asedimentary soil composed of sand particles that has been pressured bound by variousiron based minerals. This is the main soil type ofKitterlé in Alsace.
*Schist - Laminated,crystalline rock based soil that retains heat well and is rich inmagnesium andpotassium but is poor in organic nutrients andnitrogens .
*Shale - Fine grain sedimentary based soil that can turn intoslate when under pressure. The soil is moderately fertile and retains heat well.
*Siliceous soil - Soil composed ofacid rock that are crystalline in nature. The soil has good heat retention but needs the added composition ofsilt ,clay and other sedimentary soils to have any kind of water retention. The range of this soil can include organic materials likeKieselguhr andflint or inorganic materials likequartz . This soil type covers half of the wine regions ofBordeaux .
*Silt - Soil type consisting of fine grain deposits that offer good water retention but poor drainage. It is more fertile the sand.
*Silex - A flint and sand based soil type found primarily in theLoire Valley that is a formed from a mixture of clay, limestone andsilca .
*Slate - Soil type that is the most common found in the Mosel region that is a dark gray, plate like rock that formed when clay, shale,siltstone and other sediments are subjected to pressure. The soil retains heat well and warms up relatively quickly.
*Steige - A schist based soil found in theAndlau region ofAlsace . In theAlsace Grand Cru AOC of Kastelberg the soil hasmetamorphosed withgranite sand to form a hard, dark slate like stone.
*Terra Rossa - A sedimentary soil, known as "Red Earth", that is created aftercarbonates have been leached out of limestone. The breakdown leaves behind iron deposits whichoxidizes and turns the soil a rustic red color. This soil type is found in some areas along theMediterranean and inCoonawarra, Australia . The soil drains well and is relatively high in nutrients. Australian winemakers have found some success withCabernet Sauvignon plantings.
*Volcanic soil - Soil that is created by one of two volcanic activities. 1.) "Vent-based soil" is material that has been ejected into the air, cooled and settled to the earth. These includepumice andtufa . 2.) "Lava-based soil" are the product oflava flows from the volcano. 90 percent of lava-based soil is composed ofbasalt with the other ten percent includingandesite ,pitchstone ,rhyolite , andtrachyte .References
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