Soils

Question 1

Basalt

Answer 1

Cooled lava from volcanic rock that is high in calcium, iron, and magnesium. Many of the best vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are planted in basalt.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 2

Calcareous Soil

Answer 2

Soil with high levels of calcium and magnesium carbonate. Often calcareous soils are “cool,” which means they retain water and delay ripening, thereby leading to more acidic wines. Limestone, chalk, and marl are calcareous.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 3

Alluvial Soil

Answer 3

Alluvial soil: Soil that has been transported from a mountain or hilltop down a slope, usually by the force of a river or stream. At the bottom of the slope, the water loses speed and spreads out, forming an alluvial fan of sediments including gravel, sand, and silt. Alluvial soils are found, for example, on the western side of Napa Valley, where they have been deposited by water streaming down the Mayacamas Mountains.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 4

Chalk

Answer 4

A very porous, soft type of limestone soil that vine roots can easily penetrate. Chalk is calcareous and is made up of marine skeletons, especially coccoliths. A classic soil in Champagne, France, among other places.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 5

Clay

Answer 5

Soil based on extremely fine particles of sedimentary rock. Clay holds water well, and as a result, is especially beneficial in areas prone to drought. Conversely, in wet areas, clay is not ideal because it does not drain water well. Because of its water-holding capacity, clay is often “cool” and can mitigate quick ripening. The Right Bank of Bordeaux is dominated by clay-based soils.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 6

Flint

Answer 6

Tough siliceous stone (sedimentary rocks that contain silica from silica-secreting organisms such as diatoms and some types of sea sponges) that reflects sun and retains heat well. The Pouilly-Fumé wines of the Loire Valley are generally grown in flint-based soils.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 7

Galestro

Answer 7

Schist-based soil found in the Tuscany region of Italy.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 8

Gneiss

Answer 8

A coarse-grained form of granite.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 9

Granite

Answer 9

A hard igneous rock composed of tightly interlocking geologic minerals, including a lot of quartz. The soil warms quickly and retains heat well. Granite soils are ideal for acidic grapes like Gamay. Granite is found in Beaujolais, as well as in the Cornas region of the northern Rhône Valley.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 10

Gravel

Answer 10

Soil made up of loose, pebbly particles that are larger than sand. Gravel has good drainage and poor fertility. Vines planted in this type of soil must penetrate deeply to find water and nutrients. The Graves and Left Bank regions of Bordeaux consist predominantly of gravel-based soil.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 11

Greywacke

Answer 11

Sedimentary soil formed by rivers depositing quartz, mudstone, and feldspar. It is found in the vineyards of Germany, New Zealand, and South Africa.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 12

Limestone

Answer 12

A sedimentary-based soil consisting of calcium carbonates, many of which are formed from the skeletal fragments of marine organisms. Limestone is consistently alkaline and is generally ideal in cool climates with high-acid grapes. Limestone is present in many parts of the world and is especially strongly associated with three French regions: Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. Because limestone is a remnant of ancient seabeds, certain islands (including the Florida Keys and parts of Great Britain) are made in part from limestone.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 13

Licorella

Answer 13

A blackish-colored slate/schist rock that is very porous and drains well. A soil type found in the Priorat appellation of Spain.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 14

Loam

Answer 14

Warm, soft, fertile soil composed of roughly equal amounts of silt, sand, and clay. It is typically too fertile for high-quality wines.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 15

Loess

Answer 15

Very fine, silt-based soil composed of wind-borne sediment. Loess has good water retention and warming properties. It is a common soil type in top Austrian and Washington State vineyards.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 24). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 16

Marl

Answer 16

Calcareous clay–based soil that is “cool” and thus delays ripening, resulting in wines with prominent acidity. Marl is typically deep and lacking in stone fragments; it is a prominent soil type in Champagne and the Piedmont wine region of Italy.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 17

Quartz

Answer 17

A hard, crystalline geologic mineral that resists weathering and does not easily dissolve. One of the two most common minerals in the Earth’s crust (the other is feldspar). A common material found in many sand and silt soils, where it acts as a “skeleton” so that water can infiltrate between the molecules of the soil. Quartz also stores heat, so it can aid in ripening.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 18

Sand

Answer 18

Warm, airy soil that is composed of small particles of weathered rocks. Sand is larger than silt. It’s also one of the few soils that the insect phylloxera does not thrive in. The soil drains well—but sometimes so well that it can leave the vines bereft of even a small sustaining amount of water. Sand is a main component in the soils of California’s South Central Coast, near Santa Barbara.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 19

Sandstone

Answer 19

One of the most common types of sedimentary rock around the world, sandstone is composed of sand-sized particles of quartz, feldspar, and rock fragments.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 20

Schist

Answer 20

Laminated, often foliated rock–based soil that is very much like slate. (The two words are sometimes used interchangeably.) Technically, schist does not break into pieces as easily and cleanly as slate. Many parts of Portugal’s Douro Valley (where Port is made) have schist-based soils.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 21

Shale

Answer 21

Common, fine-grain, weak, crumbly sedimentary-based soil that tends to split in horizontal layers. Shale can have many different compositions, from volcanic shale to calcareous shale, which, for example, is found in New York State’s Finger Lakes region. Shale is moderately fertile and retains heat well.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 22

Silex

Answer 22

A type of flint made from microcrystalline quartz formed from the remains of sea sponge skeletons that were once scattered over the ocean floor. Found primarily in the Loire Valley.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 23

Silt

Answer 23

A fine-grained soil with good water retention and thus poor drainage. Particles of silt are smaller than sand, but not as small as clay.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 24

Slate

Answer 24

A metamorphic, platelike rock formed when shale, clay, or siltstone is subjected to intense tectonic pressure deep within the earth, causing the rock to cleave and split off in sheets. The soil retains heat well and warms up relatively quickly. The most common soil type of the Mosel region of Germany.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 25

Terra Rossa

Answer 25

A sedimentary soil, known as “red earth,” that is formed after carbonates have been leached out of limestone. The breakdown leaves behind iron deposits that oxidize and turn the soil a rusty red color. This soil type is found in some areas along the Mediterranean and in Coonawarra, Australia.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 26

Volcanic Soil

Answer 26

Soil that is derived from one of two volcanic activities: 1) Vent-based volcanic soil is formed from rock material or molten globules that were ejected at high velocity into the air and then cooled before falling to the earth. 2) Lava-based volcanic soil is the product of molten lava flows from a volcano. Ninety percent of lava-based soil is basalt.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 27

Definition of Soil

Answer 27

What we call soil is often rock—which geologists define as a coherent, rigid aggregate of minerals. Rocks are classified by how they were formed.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 26). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
Soil that is derived from one of two volcanic activities: 1) Vent-based volcanic soil is formed from rock material or molten globules that were ejected at high velocity into the air and then cooled before falling to the earth. 2) Lava-based volcanic soil is the product of molten lava flows from a volcano. Ninety percent of lava-based soil is basalt.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 25). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 28

Igneous Rock

Answer 28

Formed from hot molten material that cools and solidifies. Parts of the Earth’s interior are so hot, rocks exist in a liquid state until they move upward and, finally, above the crust, become solid. Granite and basalt are igneous rocks.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 26). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 29

Sedimentary Rock

Answer 29

Any type of rock that has weathered over time breaks down into loose particles called sediment. This can be scattered across the earth by ice, wind, water, and other forces. When sediment aggregates and becomes chemically bonded together into a mass, it’s called sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock often contains fossils. Limestone, sandstone, and shale are sedimentary rock.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 26). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.

Question 30

Metamorphic Rock

Answer 30

Sedimentary or igneous rock that has been buried (as can happen under the floor of the sea) can be transformed by pressure and the Earth’s internal heat. Broken through to the surface, this rock is known as metamorphic rock. Slate and schist are metamorphic rock.

MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible, 3rd Edition (p. 26). Workman Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.