Soils

Question 1

What is acid soil?

Answer 1

•pH less than 7(neutral)
•Low in calcium and magnesium
•Negligible amounts of soluble salts and reduced phosphorus availability

Question 2

What is parent rock (parent material)?

Answer 2

Underlaying geological material from which the vineyard soil developed through processes of weathering & erosion.

Question 3

Name examples of acidic soil due to their parent rock

Answer 3

1. Brown/reddish-brown sandy loams or sands
2. Volcanic soils
3. Igneous(formed from cooling & solidification of magma & lava) rich soils
4. Silicate-rich( formed from rocks like quartz sand, granite, basalt) soil

Question 4

How can a neutral soil become acidic?

Answer 4

•Acid rain
•Too much humus (organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays)

Question 5

What is Alkaline soil?

Answer 5

•pH more than 7(neutral)
•Typically include chalk and any calcareous soils

Question 6

Examples of warm soils (advance ripening)

Answer 6

•gravel
•sand
•loam

Question 7

Examples of cold soils (retard ripening)

Answer 7

•clay

Question 8

Minerals essential to vine growth
(Hydrogen & Oxygen are supplied as water)
Part I

Answer 8

1. Nitrogen: production of plants green matter
2. Phosphate: directly encourages root development / indirectly promotes early ripening of the grapes (excess inhibits the magnesium uptake)
3. Potassiumimproves vine’s metabolism, enriches the sap. *Essential for the development of next year’s crop

Question 9

Minerals essential to vine growth
(Hydrogen & Oxygen supplied as water)
Part II

Answer 9

4. Iron: indispensable for photosynthesis (lack of iron= chlorosis)
5. Magnesium: only mineral constituent of chlorophyll molecule (lack of magnesium = chlorosis)
6. Calcium: feeds root system, neutralizes acidity, helps create friable soil structure (excess calcium restricts iron extraction)

Question 10

What is Chlorosis and what can cause it? due to minerals

Answer 10

Yellowing of the leaves

1. Lack of iron
2. Lack of magnesium
3. Excess calcium

Question 11

Calcareous Soil : Any soil or mixture of soils with accumulation of Calcium and Magnesium carbonates

Answer 11

•Essentially alkaline
•Promotes acidity in grapes
•Cool, with good water retention
•Allows vine’s root system to penetrate deeply and provide excellent drainage (exception: calcareous clay)

Question 12

Clay: fine-grained argillaceous compound with malleable, plastic characteristics

Answer 12

•Excellent water-retention properties
•Cold (retards ripening)
•Acid
•Poor drainage
•Hard to work
•Excess of clay can stifle vine’s root system

Question 13

Types of Clay soil

Answer 13

1. Calcareous clay: has carbonate lime content that neutralizes the clay’s intrinsic acidity. It’s low temperature delays ripening.
   Wines produced in this type of soil tend to be more acidic
2. Clayey-loam: very fertile version of loam. Hard to work under wet conditions(tendency to become waterlogged)
3. Ferriginous clay: iron-rich clay
4. Hard-pan: dense layer of clay that forms if the subsoil is more clayey than the topsoil at certain depths
   -impermeable to water and roots
   - iron-pan: sandy, rich-iron hard-pan commonly found in Bordeaux
5. Kimmeridgian clay: sticky, calcareous clay containing Kimmeridgian limestone

Question 14

Types of Clay Soil (part II)

Answer 14

5. Terra Rossa: red, clay-like (sometimes flinty) sedimentary soil deposited after carbonate has leached out of limestone.
6. Marl(usually 50% clay content): cold, calcareous clay-like soil. Delays ripening & adds acidity to wine
   a. Argovian marl: chalky, clay-like marl found in Cote des Beaune
7. Willakenzie: silty clay-loam colluvium(loose, unsorted sediment that accumulates at the base of a slope due to gravity) 1 of the primary soils in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Question 15

Carbonaceous soil: derived from rotting vegetation under anaerobic conditions

Answer 15

Examples: peat, lignite, coal, anthracite
•Lignite - brown carbonaceous material intermediate between coal and peat. Warm and very fertile.
* “Brown coal” of Germany
“Black gold” of Champagne(mined and used as a natural fertilizer)*

Question 16

Limestone: any sedimentary rock consisting essentially of carbonates

Answer 16

•Grey and buff-colored (most common hues)
•Alkaline
•Encourages production of grapes with a relatively high acidity level
•Hardness and water retention vary

Examples:

1. Lacustrine limestone: freshwater limestone, forms at bottom of lakes
   Found: Pelee Island, Niagara District (Ontario), Yakima Valley(Washington), Quincy(Loire Valley)
2. Oolite
3. Entroques: hard limestone found in Burgundy (ex. Montagny)
4. Chalk: type of limestone that’s soft, cool, porous, brilliant-white, sedimentary and alkaline (encourages grapes with relatively high acidity
   • provides excellent drainage
   • retains sufficient moisture for nourishment

Question 17

Examples of Limestone

Answer 17

5. Marlstone: clayey limestone that has a similar effect to marl (delays ripening & adds acidity)
6. Peperite: limestone ( or marly rock) found in Madeira and Idaho’s Snake River Valley
   -ejected by volcanic activity(tiny peppercorn-like grains of basalt)
7. Tufa: limestone concretion that forms via water dripping through gaps in limestone ORVIETO, UMBRIA MONTALCINO, TUSCANY LANGHE, PIEDMONT
8. Kimmeridgian soil: greyish-coloured limestone(originally identified in Kimmerigde in Dorset, England)

Question 18

Rock: mass of mineral matter
3 basic types: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary

Answer 18

1. Igneous: formed from molten or partially molten material. Most are crystalline
2. Metamorphic: caused by great heat or pressure (often both)
3. Sedimentary: also called aqueous or stratified. Types:
   •arenaceous- sandstone
   •argillaceous- clay
   •calcareous- limestone
   •carbonaceous- peat, lignite, coal
   •siliceous- quartz
   • 5 groups of precipitated salts- oxides, carbonates, sulphates, phosphates, chlorides

Question 19

Siliceous soil: generic term for acid rock of a crystalline nature

Answer 19

•Maybe organic (flint) or inorganic(quartz)
•Good heat retention
•No water retention unless found in finely ground form in silt, clay or other sedimentary soils
HALF of BORDEAUX region is covered in siliceous soils

Question 20

Schist: heat retaining, coarse-grain, laminated, crystalline rock

Answer 20

•Rich in Potassium & Magnesium
•Poor in Nitrogen
•Poor in Organic Substances
— STEIGE: type of Schist found north side of ANDLAU, ALSACE
-mixed with granitic sand from the top of GRAND CRU KASTELBERG makes dark, stony soil

Question 21

Slate: hard, any color from brown to bluish grey, fine-grain, plate-like rock

Formed under pressure from:

Answer 21

•Shale: heat-retaining, fine-grain, laminated, moderately fertile (can turn into Slate under pressure)

•Clay: fine-grained argillaceous compound

• Silstone: compacted and cemented silt [fine deposit with good water retention(poor drainage), more fertile than sand but it’s cold]

Question 22

Volcanic Soils: derived from two sources

Answer 22

1. Lava-based: product of volcanic flow
   
   • 90% of lava based soils are comprimed of basalt: contains various minerals, rich in lime & soda but not quartz( most abundant of all minerals), poor in potash
2. Vent-based: material blows into the atmosphere
   -ejected as molten globules, cooled in the air, dropped as solid particles(pumice)
   -ejected as solid material and fractured through the explosive force with which it was flung (tuff)

Question 23

Sand: tiny particles of rocks and minerals that retain little water but is a warm, airy soil that drains well (supposedly phylloxera free)

Sandstone: sedimentary rock composed of sand-sized particles either formed by pressure or bound by iron minerals

Answer 23

Examples:
•Sandy-loam: warm, well-drained, sand-dominated loam(warm, soft, crumbly)
- suitable for early-cropping grapes
• Ruffe: fine-grained, brilliant-red sandstone soil rich in iron oxide Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Salagou, Languedoc
•Arkose: red, Triassic sandstone consisting of feldspar, quartz and clay minerals Côtes d’Auvergne parts of Beaujolais
*Macigno: hard grey-blue sandstone Chianti

Question 24

Italy Soils:

Answer 24

1. Alberese: compact clay and limestone — CHIANTI
2. Galestro: rocky, schistous clay soil — TUSCANY’S best vineyards
3. Macigno: hard grey-blue sandstone — CHIANTI
4. Tufa: limestone concretion — ORVIETO, UMBRIA - MONTALCINO, TUSCANY - LANGHE, PIEDMONT
5. Tuff: rocks formed by fractured or water-bound material ejected by volcanic activity — TABURNO, CAMPANIA

Question 25

France Soils:

Answer 25

1. Albian: type of schist — *MAURY, ROUSILLON* 2. Arène: coarse, granitic sand ideally suited to Gamay — *BEAUJOLAIS* 3. Argovian Marl: chalky, clay-like marl — *CÔTE DES BEAUNE* 4. Arkose: red, Triassic sandstone — *CÔTES D’AUVERGNE*, *ST-AMOUR, BEAUJOLAIS*

Question 26

France Soils:

Answer 26

5. Aubuis: stony mix of permeable, fertile, calcareous clay(said to be well suited for white grape varieties) — *LOIRE VALLEY*: *TOURAINE* - *VOUVRAY* - *MONTLOUIS*(highly rated for Chenin Blanc) 6. Bauxite: found in limestone soils, valuable ore mined for aluminum production — *COTEAUX DE BAUX-de-PROVENCE* 7. Boulbènes: very fine siliceous soil that’s easily compressed and hard to work — covers parts of the plateau of *ENTRE-DEUX-MERS, BORDEAUX*

Question 27

France Soils:

Answer 27

8. Coal: rarely seen as vineyard soil, except for Chardonnay vines grown in Haillicourt — *BÉTHUNE* in *PAS-de-CALAIS* 9. Crasse de Fer(machefer): iron-rich hard pan — *LIBOURNAIS* 10. Entroques: hard limestone — *MONTAGNY, BURGUNDY* 11. Gabbro: dark, coarse-grained igneous rock — *MUSCADET*

Question 28

France Soils:

Answer 28

12. Gore: pinkish, decomposed, granitic arenaceous soil — *BEAUJOLAIS - ST-JOSEPH - CÔTES ROANNAISE* 13. Keuper: stratigraphic name for the Upper Triassic. Can mean marl(varicoloured, saliferous grey, gypsiferous grey) or limestone(ammonoid) — *ALSACE* 14. Kimmeridgian: greyish-colored limestone — *CHABLIS - SANCERRE - CHAMPAGNE* 15. Lacustrine limestone: fresh water limestone — *QUINCY, LOIRE VALLEY*

Question 29

France Soils:

Answer 29

16. Lignite: warm and very fertile — *CHAMPAGNE* 17. Muschelkalk: stratigraphic name for Middle Triassic period. Can mean anything from sandstone (shelly, dolomitic, calcareous, clayey, pink, yellow, millstone) to marl(varicoloured or fissile), dolomite, limestone (crinoidal or grey) and shingle — *ALSACE* 18. Pelite: fine-grained clayey-quartz sediment rock — *BANYULS, ROUSILLON* 19. Perruches: very stony, flinty clays combined with silica that warm up quickly. (Said to be why Sauvignon Blanc grown on them have flinty taste) — *LOIRE VALLEY*

Question 30

France Soils:

Answer 30

20. Phtanite: dark-coloured sedimentary rock bearing stratas of quartz crystals — *SAVENNIÈRES - COTEAUX DE LAYON* 21. Ruffe: fine-grained, bright red sandstone soil rich in iron-oxide — *VIN DE PAYS DEA COTEAUX DE SALAGOU, LANGUEDOC* 22. Safres: sandy-marl — *SOUTHERN RHÔNE VALLEY* 23. Silex: hard, flint, clay-like and limestone rock [highly promoted by Didier Dagueneau] — *POULLY-FUMÉ, LOIRE VALLEY* 24. Steige: type of schist — *ANDLAU, ALSACE* (mix w/ granite = hard & slaty) *GRAND CRU KASTELBERG* ( mix w/ granitic sand = dark & stony) 25. Terres Blanche: steep Kimmeridgian marls — *SANCERRE, LOIRE VALLEY* 26. Tuffeau: buff-coloured, sandstone-rich, otherwise chalky limestone — *TOURAINE, LOIRE VALLEY* (used in the construction of chateaux)

Question 31

Spain Soils:

Answer 31

1. Albariza = Albero: white-surfaced soil formed by diatomaceous deposits (Palomino grapes) — JEREZ 2. Barro: similar to Albariza but brown in color, sandier, less diatomaceous content (Pedro Ximenez Grapes) — JEREZ 3. Licorella: Catalan name for a black slate and quartz soil — PRIORAT 4. Ruedas: red sandy-limestone — MONTILLA-MORILES

Question 32

USA Soils:

Answer 32

1. Jory: volcanic soil, primarily basalt, hard and dense with a glassy appearance — *DUNDEE HILLS, WILLAMETTE VALLEY* (Pinot Noir excels) (1 of 2 primary soils types in Willamette, Oregon) 2. Lacustrine limestone: freshwater limestone — *YAKIMA VALLEY, WASHINGTON* 3. Willakenzie: silty clay-loam colluvium (2nd primary soils types type in Willamette) — *WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON*

Question 33

Other countries+soils:

Answer 33

1. Greywake: argillaceous rocks that could have been formed as recently as a few thousand years ago by rivers depositing mudstone, quartz, feldspar — *GERMANY - SOUTH AFRICA - NEW ZEALAND* 2. Greensand: glauconite-rich sand of Cretaceous origin (used as a water softener) — *SOUTHEAST ENGLAND* 3. Lacustrine limestone — *PELEE ISLAND - NIAGARA DISTRICT, ONTARIO*

Question 34

Other countries+soils:

Answer 34

4. Saibro: decomposed red Tufa soil — *MADEIRA* (highly regarded) 5. Tuff: rock formed by fractured or water-bound material ejected by volcanic activity — *HUNGARY - ISRAEL - ITALY*