1
Q
Rias Baixas soil
A
- Sand gravel over granite
- Free draining
- Helps with high rainfall
2
Q
La Mancha soil
A
- Best sites has water-retaining cooling limestone
- Some sandy plots
3
Q
Bierzo soil
A
- Plains fertile alluvia
- Hillsides shallow poor slate slows, limits Mencia’s high vigour
4
Q
Rueda soil
A
- Gravel over sandy clay subsoil over limestone bedrock
- Helps retaining water
5
Q
Toro soil
A
Low water-retaining sandy soil
6
Q
Aragon soil
A
Free draining rocks
7
Q
Penedes soil
A
Sand clay, pockets of marine fossil limestone
8
Q
Priorat soil
A
Mostly slate-based free draining soil known as “llicorella”
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
10
Q
Costers del Segre soil
A
Free-drained sand
11
Q
Jumilla soil
A
Sand over limestone
12
Q
La Mancha soil
A
Limestone and chalk is sought after as no river and low rainfall
13
Q
Vinho Verde soil
A
- Granitic bedrock with shallow topsoil of decomposed granite with a sandy texture
- Great drainage
14
Q
Douro soil
A
Schist with vertical cracks
15
Q
Dao soil
A
Granite stoney
16
Q
Bairrada soil
A
- Light coloured limestone-clay with pebbles
- Reflects light and warmth to late ripening Baga
17
Q
Alentejo soil
A
- Mix as it’s a big region
18
Q
Colares soil
A
Phylloxera free sandy soil
19
Q
Left Bank Bordeaux soil
A
Croupes, gravel mounds/hills
20
Q
Saint-Estephe soil
A
Pockets of clay, not highly regarded as gravelly neighbouring appellations
21
Q
Right Bank Bordeaux soil
A
Clay-heavy with limestone plateau closer to St-Emilion and gravelly section near Pomerol
22
Q
Chablis soil
A
- High limestone clay content
- Kimmeridgian soil containing marine fossil
23
Q
Beaujolais soil
A
- Granite/schist based “pink schist soil”
- Pockets of clay (Moulin-a-Vent ) and sand (Fleurie)
24
Q
Moulin-a-Vent soil
A
Clay, gives power
25
Fleurie soil
Sand, gives light body
26
Rangen Grand Cru soil
Volcanic, sedimentary - smoky "gunpowder" notes
27
Kessler Grand Cru soil
Sand-clay-sandstone - ethereal
28
Brand Grand Cru Soil
Granite - "salty"
29
Muscadet soil
Free draining rocky sandy soil - schist and gneiss rock
30
Vouvray soil
- Flint, clay and limestone over tuff
- Good drainage and finese
31
Chinon, Bourgeil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgeil soils
- Three types: sand, gravel and clay-limestone
- Sand lightest style
- Clay-limestone the most structured and long lived
32
Sancerre soils (3)
- 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
33
Châteauneuf-du-Pape soils
Varied with limestone, clay, sandstone, sandy soils, mixed with galets
34
Bandol soil
Low fertility rocky limestone clay
35
Cahors soil
Rich alluvial soils deposited by River Lot
36
Madiran soils
- Limestone clay with good drainage on the slopes, with more ageing potential
- Clay and clay loam on flat lands, less tannic
37
Rheinhessen soils
- 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
38
Rheinterrasse soil
Iron-rich red soil Roter Hang (slate, clay and sandstone)
39
Pfalz soils
A wide variety (limestone, sandstone, basalt and clay), giving a diversity of flavours and aromas for Pfalz wines
40
Baden soils
- Kaiserstuhl volcanic sedimentary soils giving full body and "smoky" character
- Calcareous pockets around Tuniberg and Breisgau giving more acidity
41
Mosel soils
Slate soils of varied colours - grey, blue, brown and red - each giving subtle terroir differences
42
Franken soils
- 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
Rheingau soils
- Sand, loam, loess in the east
- Sandstone and slate in the west
- Hochheim is where the differences become marked
44
Ahr soil
Hea-retaining dark slate and dark sandstone called greywacke, good for ripening Spatburgunder
45
Austrian soil types (2)
1. Poorer thin soils over granite or gneiss on crystalline bedrock called "Urgestein"
2. Richer soils such as loess
46
Tokaj soils
1. Nyirok - volcanic soil associated with power in wine
2. Sandy silt loess that gives a lighter more delicate wine
47
Greece soils
A mixture of everything but mostly low fertility lands
48
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC soil
Gravelly soil
49
Trentino DOC soils
Calcareous clay and basalt soils
50
Alto-Adige soil
Volcanic porphyry, quartz, mica, and Dolomite limestone - giving a wide range of varieties to grow and ripen successfully
51
Valpolicella soils
- Limestone and clay over volcanic soils near the foothills
- Gravel and sand for flatter plains
52
La Morra soil
Blue marl - lighter and more aromatic style
53
Serralunga d'Alba soil
Yellow-grey compacted sand and clay - most closed and need cellaring for 10-15 years
54
Barolo commune soil
Blue marl - lighter and more aromatic style
55
Chianti Classico soil types (3)
1. Galestro - schistous, crumbly rock - aromatic
2. Albarese - calcareous clay - structure and body
3. Sand & Sandstone - "smoky"
56
Montalcino soils
Schistous galestro higher elevation (lighter more aromatic) and clay in lower warmer parts (powerful and riper)
57
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG soils
Cooling heavy clay and lighter sandy soil
58
Aglianico del Vulture DOC soils
Clay, limestone, volcanic (stony, lava, ashy), giving excellent drainage while clay holds water for the drought period in the summer
59
Dry Creek soils
- Gravel sandy loam on the valley floor
- Gravel red clay loam on the hills
- Both free draining and limit vigour of Zin
60
Russian River Valley soils
- Vary - ranging from yellow sandstone to rocky sand clay loam
- But generally free draining and low in nutrients
61
Green Valley soil
Free draining sandstone, like many premium strips in Germany (Rheingau & Pfalz)
62
Chalk Hill soil
White volcanic ash, good for Cab and Chards
63
Napa soils
- 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
Monterey AVA soil
Sandy loam and gravel, free draining and low nutrient
65
Paso Robles soil
- Calcareous clay throughout, like Rioja and Chianti Classico's albarese
- Very rare in California
- Most AVAs are therefore dry farmed
66
Sta Rita Hills soil
- Diverse mix of soil thanks to the Transverse Ranges
- Best high elevation sites tend to have calcium-rich (cooling) soils
67
Lodi soil
Free draining sandy clay loam
68
Sierra Foothills soil
Sandy clay loam from decomposed granite, retaining just enough water
69
Oregon soils
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
Dundee Hills soil
Iron-rich clay of volcanic basalt, good at retaining water in summer
71
Williamette Valley soils
- Fertile alluvial loam on the Valley floor, more suitable for Pinot Gris
- Sandstone and volcanic basalt higher up, better for Pinot Noir
72
Washington State soils
Complex but generally low water retention types: sandy and alluvial on hard basalt bedrock
73
Ontario soils
- Mixture of sedimentary and glacial
- Areas around the lakes usually have high limestone content from exposed ancient seabed, rather like Chablis
74
Argentina soils
- Foothills: mostly fertile alluvial soils (clayey) washed down from the Andes
- Middle sections: gravelly sand silts
- High alt: calcareous deposits (cooling)
75
Agrelo soil
Clay heavy, gives power
76
Western Cape soils
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
Constantia soils
Decomposed granite over sandstone, good draining and can retain some water
78
Stellenbosch soils
- Sandy alluvial near False Bay
- Granite and shale near Simonsberg, Stellenbosch Mountain and Helderberg
79
Swartland soil
Predominantly low fertility granite and shale soils, resulting a lower average yield compared to Olifants River (like for like)
80
Robertson soil
Alluvial with pockets of limestone
81
Hemel-en-Aarde soils
Clay heavy soil, very rare for SA but common in Burgundy
82
SE Australia superzone soil
Free draining sandy soil
83
Barossa soil
- Mixed low fertility ancient soils
- Northern part most prized for ageworthy Shiraz for its ironstone
84
Clare Valley soil
- Slate soil around Polish Hill = less aromatic, flintier
- Limestone soil around Watervale = more aromatic and floral
85
McLaren Vale soil
- 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
Coonawarra soil
- 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
Yarra Valley soil
Fertile volcanic soil, holds water well
88
Mornington Peninsula soil
Sandy with pockets of red basalt (Red Hill/Main Ridge)
89
Orange soil
Decomposed volcanic with good water retention
90
Gimblett Gravel soil
Gravelly soil like Bordelaise croupes
91
Bridge Pa soil
Sandy clay loam, eliminating need for irrigation
92
Hawke's Bay soil
- 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
Wairau Valley soil
- Mix gravel, silt, sand and loam
- Free draining
- "Sun stone" gravels retains warmth well
94
Southern Valleys soil
Cooling clay soil, like Burgundy and Hemel-en-Aarde
95
Gibbston altitude
Very high for NZ at 300-450m, the highest and coolest of Central Otago subregions
96
