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General Wine- Soil
Soil information in relation to wine
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Igneous | "of fire", generated by volcanic activity. |
Intrusive | One of the 2 types of igneous soil high is silica, eg. granite. |
Extrusive | One of the 2 types of igneous soil high in iron and magnesium, eg. basalt. |
Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic | 3 Major (basic) soil types. |
Sedimentary | Most common soil type; formed by the movement of soil by water. |
Classic | One of the 4 major types of sedimentary soils consisting of gravel, sand, mud; many subclassifications like sandstone. |
Biogenetic | One of the 4 major types of sedimentary soils consisting of limestone, coal and chert formed by biological aspects. |
Chert | A sedimentary rock consisting almost entirely of silica, Many types; 3 include: Biological, Replacement, or from direct precipitation of silica rich fluids. |
Chemical | One of the 4 major types of sedimentary soil consisting of Oolitic limestone or "egg-stone"; limestone formed by circular grains. |
"the rare other" | One of the 4 major types of sedimentary soils consisting of pyroclastic flows (water and volcanic ash), impact brecca (Underwater asteroid craters). |
Metamorphic | Formed when sedimentary or igneous come into contact with heat and pressure from beneath the earth. There are 5 major types. |
Classification&colors | __________________ & _____________ comes from the original stone or base materials. |
Slate | One of the 5 major types of metamorphic rock comprising of volcanic ash or clay, which becomes shale via compression, fine grained. |
Schist | One of the 5 major types of metamorphic rock comprising of Igneous rock and mineral clay, medium grained. |
Gneiss | One of the 5 major types of metamorphic rock comprising of Igneous or sedimentary rocks, course grained. |
Granoblast | One of the 5 major types of metamorphic rock comprising of marble, quartzite formed mostly by sedimentary rock, including fossils, course grained. |
Hornfell | One of the 5 major types of metamorphic rock formed by sedimentary sandstone, it can be intermingled with igneous rock. |
Aeolian | Type of soil, sediment deposited by wind, e.g. loess. |
Albariza | Comprised of mostly chalk, with a mix of sand limestone clay; White surfaced sand formed by diatomaceous deposits, found in souther Spain. |
Albarese | Compact clay and limestone found in Chianti. |
Albian | A type of schist found in Maury Roussillon. |
Acidic | Any soil that has a pH lower than 7 (neutral). Examples include reddish brown sand, sandy loams, igneous or silica rich soils. can also become acidic from too much acid rain or humas. |
Alkaline | Any soil with a pH higher than 7 (neutral). Examples include chalk and clay. |
Alluvium | Material that has been transported by a river and deposited. Most of these types of soils contain silt, sand, and gravel. Most vineyards in the world are planted on this soil, very fertile. |
Aqueous | AKA sedimentary rock, aka stratified rock, one of the 3 major types of rock, formed with layers of sediment compress. |
Arenaceous | Formed by the deposits of coarse grained particles, usually siliceous and often decomposed from older rocks, eg. standstone. |
Aréne | A Course granitic sand ideally suited to gamay, found in Beaujolais. |
Argillaceous | Term covers sedimentary soils, shales, clays, mudstone, siltstones, marls. |
Argovian-marl | A chalky, claylike marl found in many parts of the Cotes de Beaune. |
Arkose | Red, Triassic sandstone consisting of feldspare, quartz, and clay minerals; found in parts of Cote d'Auvergne and parts of Beaujolais , eg. St-Amour. |
Barro | Similar to Albariza but brown in color, sandier with less diatomaceous earth, reserved for Pedro Ximenez though some Palamino grapes are grown on this soil type. |
Basalt | Accounts for up to 90% of all lava-based volcanic rocks containing various minerals, rich in lime and soda, but no quartz. |
Bastard soil | A bordelais name for medium heavy sand-clay soil with medium fertility. |
Bauxite | Found in limestone soils of Coteaux de _______-de-Provence, also can be mined for aluminum production. |
Block-like | Referring to soil structure indicates angular or slanting structure. |
Boulbéne | "Beaten" earth, a bordelais name for compressed hard to work fine siliceous soils, found in Entré-deux-mers plateau. |
Calcareous-clay | An argillaceous soil with a carbonate of lime content that neutralizes the clays . |
Carbonaceous | Soil that is derived from rotting vegetation under anaerobic conditions, most common of these soils are peat, Lignite, coal, anthracite. |
Calcareous-soil | A general label for any mixture of soils containing calcium magnesium carbonate. essentially alkaline it promotes the production of acid in grapes. Cools soils with good water retention and permeability with the exception of calcareous clay. |
Chalk | A type of limestone, soft, cool, porous, brilliant white, sedimentary, alkaline rock that encourages grapes with a relitively high acidity level. also allows vine roots to penetrate providing good drainage and enough moisture for nourishment. |
Clay | A fine grained argillaceous compound with malleable plastic characteristics and excellent water retention. Cold, high in acid, offers poor drainage and can stifle vine root systems. |
Clay-loam | Fertile version of loam but heavy to work when wet. |
Coal | Rarely seen in soils and far as vineyards, except for one of the slagsheaps at Hallicort near Bethume in Pas-de-Calais. |
Colluvium | Weathered materials transported by gravity or hill wash. |
Crass de fer | Iron rich hard-pan found in the libournais, AKA manchefer. |
Crystalline | May be either igneous or metamorphic. if intrusive it always has this quality, in extrusive may have a differing percentages. |
Dolomite | A calcium-magnesium carbonate rock. Many limestones contain ____________. |
Entroques | A type of limestone found most notably in Burgundy, Montagny, and in Pouilly-sur-Loire. Refers to the oldest part of the Oxfordian era. |
Feldspar | the most abundant group minerals in the world, when combined making up 60% of the earths crust. A white or rose color silicate of either potassium-alluminum or sodium-calcium-aluminum, found in granite and basalt. |
Ferruginous-clay | Iron rich Clay, reddish brown or rust color. |
Flint | A siliceous stone that stores and reflects heat and is often associated with a specific aroma. |
Gabbro | A dark, course-grained igneous rock found in Muscadet. |
Galestro | Rocky schistous clay soil commonly found in most of Tuscany's best vineyard. |
Glacial moraine | a mass of small stone deposited by glacial action. |
Gore | A pinkish, decomposed, granite, arenaceous soil found in Beaujolais, St-Joseph, Cotes Roanaisse. |
Gneiss | a course grained metamorphic rock with visual sedimentary stratification. |
Schist | Metamorphic crystalline rock made of mudstone or shale, formed under lower pressure than gneiss but high heat. Represented by large flakes in a sheetlike orientation, often can looked warped. Rich in organic material. |
Granite | A hard mineral rich rock that warms quickly and retains heat. contains 40-60%quartz, and 30-40% feldspar, high ph which lowers grape acidity. |
Gravel | A generic term that cover siliceous pebble of various sizes that are loose, granular airy and has excellent drainage. Infertile causing roots to dig deep to the subsoil. Over limestone subsoil it has even higher acidity than clay. |
Greensand | A dark greenish colored, glauconite-rich sand of cretaceous origin. used to soften water, ironically found over chalk subsoil known for its hard water. |
Glauconite | Iron potassium phyllosilicate mineral of characteristic green color. |
Greywacke | Argillaceous rocks possibly formed as recently as a few thousand years ago by rivers depositing mudstone, quartz, feldspar; found in Germany, South Africa, New Zealand. |
Gypsum | Highly absorbent, hydrated calcium-sulphate formed during the evaporation of sea water. |
Gypsiferous-marl | Marly soil with ________ (noun) fragments improving the soils heat retention and water. Made up of calcium sulfate (drywall). |
Hard-pan | A dense layer of clay that forms in the subsoil, impermeable to water and roots. |
Hornblend | A silicate of iron, aluminum, calcium and magnesium constituting the main mineral in basalt, granite, and gneiss. |
Humus | Organic material that contains bacteria and other micro organisms that is capable of converting complex chemicals into plant food. |
Iron-pan | Sandy, iron-rich solid subsoil. |
Jory | Volcanic soil, primarily basalt creating a hard and dense soil that often has a glassy appearance. one of the two primary soil types of Willamette, particularly in the low hills, eg. Dundee. |
Keuper | Stratigraphic name for the Upper Triassic period, can be marl (varied color, saliferous grey or gypsiferous), or limestone (ammonoid). |
Kimmeridgian | A grey-ish limestone originally identified in Dorset, England. |
Kimmeridgian-clay | a sticky calcareous clay containing limestone |
Laucustrine | A freshwater limestone that forms at the bottom of the lakes. Commonly found in Yakima Valley Washington, and Quincy in Loire. |
Lignite | "Brown coal" of Germany, a brown carbonaceous material between coal and peat. Warm and very fertile, used as fertilizer in Champagne. |
Limestone | Any sediment or rock consisting essentially of carbonates. Most is grey or buff colored with the exception of... Water retention and hardness varies, but because of its inherent alkaline, grapes produce higher acidity. |
Llicorella | The Catalan name for a black slate and quartz soil found in Priorate Spain. |
Loam | A warm, soft, crumbly soil with roughly equal proportion clay, sand, and silt. Perfect for large-cropping, mediocre wines, too fertile for fine wine. |
Loess | An accumulation of mainly wind blown silt sometimes calcareous, but usually decalcified by the wind. Warms easily and has good water retention. |
Machefer | Iron rich hardpan found in Libournais, aka "crass de fer" |
Macigno | Hard grey-blue sandstone found in the Chianti region |
Marl | Cold, calcareous clay-like soil usually 50% clay, that delays ripening and adds acidity. |
Marlstone | Clayey-limestone that delays ripening and adds acidity |
Mica | A generic name encompassing various silicate minerals, usually in a fine, decomposed-rock formate |
Millstone | Siliceous, iron-rich, sedimentary rock |
Mudstone | A sedimentary soil similar to clay but without the elastic characteristics |
Muschelkalk | Often used when discussing wines in Alsace. A stratagraphic for the Middle Triassic period. Can mean anything from sandstone, marl, dolomite, limestone, shingles |
Oolite | a type of limestone, when round calcareous particle fuse over time, found in Burgundy. |
Oolith | A term used for small round calcareous pebbles that have grown through the fusion of very fine particles, creates a type of limestone found in burgundy |
Palus | A bordelais name for very fertilesoil that produces medium quality fruity wines. |
Pelite | fine grained clayey-quartz sedimentary rock found in Banyuls Russillon |
Perruches | Very stony flinty clay combined with silica. Soils warm up quickly, and are said to be why SB exhibits a flinty characteristic when grown on it, found in Vouvray, and Montlouis-sur-Loire ,Touraine. |
Peperite | Limestone on marly rock that has been peppered with tiny peppercorn-like grains of basalt from volcanic activity, found on Madeira and Snake River, Idaho) |
Perlite | A fine powdery light of volcanic origins, similar properties to diatomaceous earth. |
Phtanite | Dark colored sedimentary rock bearing stratas of quartz crystal, found in Savennieres and Coteaux du Layon. |
Platy | Referring to soil structure, indicates horizontal alignment of particles. |
Porphyry | A colored igneous rock with high pH. |
Precipitated-salts | A sedimentary deposit. Formed by water charged with acid or alkaline materials, under great pressure desolve minerals in rock. When depths are drained or evaporated, suspended minerals solidify into a thin or very thick layer (several thousand meters) |
Prism-like | Referring to soil structure indicating a columnar or vertical arrangement of soil. |
Pudding stones | A term used for a large conglomerate of heat returning pebbles. |
Quartz | The most common and abundant of any single mineral. It is the crystalline form of silica and is found in almost all soils. High ph reduces wines acidity. Pebble size can retain heat increasing alcohol potential. |
Rock | Loosely described as mass mineral matter. 3 types: igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary (aqueous or stratified) |
Ruedas | Red sandy-limestone found in Montilla-Moriles region of Spain |
Ruffe | A fine grained brilliant, brilliant-red sandstone, soil rich in iron-oxide, formed in parts of the Languedoc, particularly in the VdP des Coteaux de Salagou. |
Safres | A sandy-marl found in the southern Rhone Valley |
Saibro | A decomposed red Tufa soil that is highly regarded in Madeira |
Sand | Tiny particles of weathered rock that does not retain water well, but is warm, airy and phylloxera free |
Sandstone | Sedimentary rock composed of sand bonded by pressure or various iron materials. |
Sandy-loam | Warm, well drained, sand dominated loam, easy to work and is suitable for early ripening varieties. |
Scree | weathered material transported by gravity or hill-wash (colluvium) |
Shale | Heat retaining fine grained moderately fertile sedimentary rock, _________ can turn to slate under pressure |
Shingle | Pebble or gravel-sized particles rounded by water action. |
Silex | A hard, flint, clay and limestone rock found in Pouilly-Fume |
Siliceous-soil | A generic term for acid rock of a crystalline structure, may be organic like flint, or inorganic like quartz. has good heat retention, no water retention unless found in finely ground form like silt, clay, and often sedimentary soils. |
Silt | A very fine deposit with good water retention but poor drainage. More fertile but cooler. |
Slate | Hard, oftern dark grey, can be brown/blue, formed under pressure, and consists of clay, siltstone shale... warms up quickly and retains heat well, responsible for some of the worlds finest wines like the Mosel. |
Slaty-schist | Half formed slate created under lower pressure but still high temperature. |
Spiroidal | Referring to soil structure, indicated granular or crumb-like |
Steige | A type of schist metamorphosed with the Andlau granite and is particularly hard and slaty. found on the north side of Andlau in Alsace and has mixed with the granitic sand from top of Grand Cru Kastelberg, dark stoney soil |
Stratified | One of the three basic rocks also known a sedimentary or aqueous |
Terra-rossa | A red clay-like, sometimes flinty sedimentary soil that is deposited after carbonate has been leached out of limestone, often known a "red earth" |
Terres Blanches | Kimmeridgian marls of Sancerre |
Tuff | Rocks formed by fractured or water-bound limestone is ejected through a vent by a volcanic eruption. Found in Taburno and Campania , Italy; and around Balaton Lake in Hungary, |
Tuffa | A limestone concretion that forms via water dripping through gaps in limestone, found in Orvieto, Umbria, Montalcino, Tuscany and Langhe |
Tuffeau | a buff colored sandstone-rich, otherwise chalky limestone, particularly around Touraine |
Willakenzie | A silty clay-loam colluvium, this is one of the two primary soils found in Willamette. |
500 | Limestone formation in France happened around ________ Million years ago during the Cambrian period. |
Cambrian | During this period Ocean Chemistry became higher in calcium allow the one defenseless sea creature mutate developing shells because of the availability of calcium |
Jurassic | During the ____________ Period the warm shallow seas above France where densely populated by crinoid, ammonites, oysters and coral. |
Limestone | Generation of exoskeletons accumulated on the sea bed, concentrating in the warm shallow water in a thick jelly-like Calcite and meta-stable aragonite at the bottom of a shallow lagoon, eventually solidifying into _____________. |
Calcium carbonate | A mineral found in limestone, soluble in ground water, and is responsible for the chemical weathering in caverns and sinkholes. |
Calcium carbonate | Limestone is formed, eroded, as _________ it is transported by ground water and formed in another location |
Limestones | Are sedimentary rock formations that contain at leas 50% calcium carbonate in the corm of calcite. |
Higher | The _________ the percentage of calcium carbonate the harder, less porous, and more water resistant limestone is |
Silica | The higher the amount of ________ the more porous and friable limestone becomes. |
Town | Harder more commercial limestones are named from the _______ the originate. |
Fossilized sea-life | Non-commercial limestones can be named for the __________________ it contains or by the shape of its construction. |
Time-period | Don't confuse the type of lime stone from the _____________, i.e Bathonian limestone is referring to the ____________ (same word) the limestone was created. |
Calcaire | French word for limestone |
Comblacien | Type of Limestone that consists of 99% calcium carbonate giving it a stone white appearance, can also be beige or pink. Named after its origination town in Burgundy |
Comblacien | Formed by still water lagoon too high in saturation of calcium for most sea-life to survive. Formed by the settling of this calcium, and worms working their way through the thick gooey partially formed layers. These trails are filled in with cleat calcium carbonate, working like a glue to for a marble like amazingly dense black of stone. |
Gevrey-Chambertine | Comblacien limestone sits as the cape-stone on these two hills. the northen-most hill is in? |
Premeaux | A hard limestone used in building, not as hard a Comblacien, and will absorbe 12-18 times the water, leading to cracking |
Premeaux | A Limestone found at very shallow depth under vinyards, most notably in Ruchottes and Mazy-Chambertin, where in places the land had to be dynamited to make footholds for the vines. |
Crinoidal | a type of limestone named for the ________(noun), multi armed sea creatures (anemones, starfish, and urchins), that dominated the lagoons over Burgundy, friable because of its many fossils. |
Crinoidal | One of the finest types of limestone making up the Premier Cru Hillside from Lavaux, Estournelles and Clos St. Jacques. It also follows under Chapelle Girotte, Labricieres, Charmes Chambertin, the lower half of Chambertine and Clos de Beze. |
Nantoux | An Oolitic limestone named by James E Wilson, once quarried in and above Mersault-Les Perres, named after village in Pommard. |
Ladoix & Chassagne | two types of limestone named for specific regions, only mentioned rarely in articles. Most likely a realitive or another name for comblacien Limestone because of the similarities in density, strength and water resistance. |
Argilloceous | A type of limestone that consist of larger amounts of clay, often making them quite soft and friable, in many ways like a hardened version of marl. May appear silvery because of the substantial amount of clay. |
Argilloceous | This type of limestone soil can be found in the heart of Clos de Beze and Chambertine, as well as the lower third of Lavaux, St-Jacques and Clos St-Jacques |
Bioturbated | Limestone... not actually a limestone but a disturbance to the forming of the stone. Caused when calcium deposits where disturbed by animal, wave or geological action, churning and curing the material. This can create a weakness in the limestone causing friability. |
Travertine | Not a maritime derived limestone, it is a terrestrial calcium carbonate created by the geothermicaly heated springs. Very porous, it is filled and sealed for construction purposes. The porosity is created by calcium dioxide erosion or by organisms. |
Marble | Limestone that has undergone a major geological event involving high temperature and or pressure, in this process limestone carbonate materials are recrystallized, very commonly calcite or dolomite. |
Cote de nuits | Comblacien limestone sits as the cape-stone on these two hills. the southern-most hill is in? |
Oxfordian | A layer of limestone that came before Kimmeridgean, 157-163 million years ago. Found in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume. |
Molaise | Impermeable sandstone |
Astride limestone | a type of limestone with With fossilized starfish. Retains moisture resulting in cool subsoil, lends to a fresh elegance in the wines. |