This article aims to explain to you how interests – apparently – far from the world of oenology intertwine with wine production.
We will therefore analyze the concepts of pedology, geology and lithology, highlighting their meeting point with the choice of location for your vineyard.
Definitions
We will start from a general definition through the different definitions of terms, noting the nuances between each field of study.
Pedology is the science that studies the composition, origin and changes of the soil; geology is a scientific discipline dedicated to the analysis of the physico-chemical processes that form and transform the Earth.
Finally, with the term lithology, we mean the description of the physical characteristics of a rock unit (for example the color, the consistency and the composition): we mean the study of the aspects which define the visibly external appearance of the rock.
What does it have to do with wine?
First, one must consider the importance of the multidisciplinary nature of the world of oenology: wine production involves different disciplines from plant management, via soil management, to winemaking. Pedology, lithology and geology are disciplines related to the soil and therefore influence the terroir. Being informed about the terroir means analyzing the fundamental aspects of wine, the relationship between environment and human with a particular knowledge of the geographical area and even more specifically of the soil that we are going to cultivate.
This is the relationship of the aforementioned disciplines with wine: detailed information on the final product is born at the origin of the vine, in the earth.
Indeed, pedology is intimately linked with geology and agronomy: the study of the composition of the soil is linked with the analysis of the processes of transformation of the Earth (geology) and the consequent production of products (the agronomy). The examination of the soil, for this reason, constitutes the first step towards the knowledge of the production: to be informed about the land, the soil, its potentialities is an advantage for the distribution and the future consumption of what you have cultivated.
When one is interested in geology, one wonders about the eras which formed each layer of the basement and what explains the differences on both sides. Then, we will try to describe the composition of this subsoil: it is here about the lithology. Finally when we go back to the ground (often the last 30 centimeters going up to the surface of the earth), then the composition of this soil is what is called pedology.
Everything is obviously intertwined but it's a bit the type of glasses you wear that changes from one discipline to another.
How to train?
The aforementioned specialization disciplines relate to the scientific field and one can train in this field through training, university or professional training courses.
Considering the value of these studies in relation to oenology, there are also associations, particularly pedology, geology, lithology or wine associations that can help you with information about these sectors.
In fact, by recognizing the importance of scientific studies in wine production, the technical aspect of the product is enhanced, organizing ever more races and training opportunities.
Along with the experience of wine and information about the final product, we push towards knowledge of the origin of the wine, to analyze a suitable place for its production and to study the most favorable conditions for the growth of the vine. .
Finally, we must underline how the quantity of courses, books and manuals about the contact between scientific disciplines and oenology, constitutes a symptom of the general interest towards the question: we recognize the richness of a hybridization in the training, a combination of technical and experiential aspects, between science and oenology.
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