In this article we propose an analysis of viticultural soils, considering an overview of the different soil typologies and, in detail, citing France, the soils of the world but also that a land is capable of influencing wine.
First of all, it is necessary to give a definition: viticultural soil is made up of all the land in which the roots of the vine develop, and therefore where the plant is nourished.
Now we will consider “technical” aspects of the terrain to catalog it.
Indeed, there is a substantial difference between the physical composition of the soil and its chemical composition, in the first case we analyze the texture – the dimensions of sand particles and other elements that do not determine the characteristics –; while the chemical examination makes it possible to affirm that the majority of viticultural soils are full of limestone and clays.
On the basis of the aforementioned "basic" notions, we will enumerate the different types of soil, (categorized from structural and mainly physical considerations):
- Clayey;
- Sandy;
- Limestone.
Finally, we must specify that the vine does not require fertile soils, on the contrary, it prefers poor ones, characterized by their composition and texture: the soil constitutes a reserve of water and mineral salts, food for the plant which move through the geological structure.
The vine is suitable for any type of terrain but the same vineyard does not give the same grapes, this principle must be taken into account to explain the uniqueness of each grape variety.
Vineyard soils in France
France is divided into different regions, each characterized by a climate and a type of terrain that allows the heterogeneity of French wine production. Each parcel constitutes a “geosystem” characterized by its own functioning and therefore a unique product of its kind.
We will analyze above the typologies of French viticultural soils and the respective wines.
France is mainly dedicated to limestone soils and there are examples in the production of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay on the limestone soils of the Loire, Champagne or Chablis; Another typical representative is the Côte de Nuits vineyard in Burgundy, where the Pinot Noir grape varieties grow in limestone or clay-limestone soil. Still in France, we find an exception to the majority of wine-growing soils in the country, the Merlot quality red grapes grow perfectly in the clay-limestone soils of Pomerol (Bordeaux).
Another model looks at the cultivation of the Gamay and Syrah grape varieties, characterized by belonging to a granitic soil.
Wine-growing soils around the world
Other examples of clay-limestone soils are found in the largest vineyards in the world: Pomerol in France, the Tempranillo grape variety in the vineyards of Rioja and Ribera del Douero, Sangiovese in Italy, the Napa Valley in California. and in the Barossa Valley in Australia.
We have also mentioned the granitic soils, of international importance in Spain or in the areas of South Africa, where the production of Pinotages of Stellenbosch is famous.
How to recognize them in the glass?
As already said, wine is the result of unique conditions, represented by the notion of terroir. Much of this term is influenced by the soil, with its characteristics and compositions: through the land we modify the taste of the wine, the flavor. The importance of the grape variety, the environment in which it grows and the local conditions modify the final product in detail, altering its acidity, for example.
It should not be ignored that the terrain constitutes only part of the total composition of the wine and its balance, but the origin can be recognized in each glass, in powerful and concentrated wines (clay soils), in a more tannic structure (pinot noir) or in a full-bodied, light, fruity taste or other aspects influenced by each type of soil.
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