Soil Type Glossary 2

Many soils

Keeping it simple, yet conclusive.

Sources:

• guildsomm.com, accessed May 2017
  • Guildsomm Study Guides: Alsace, Australia, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Central and Southern Italy, Champagne, Fortified Wines, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spirits
  • Compendium: Beaujolais, Central Italy, Southern Italy, Loire Valley, Germany, Austria
• wikipedia.com, accessed May 2017
• The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, Tom Stevenson, 2011
• diffen.com
• “Sherry, Manzantilla & Montilla”, by Peter Liem and Jesús Barquín, 2012

Soil vocab:

• Acidic
• Albariza
  • “Albariza, a chalky, porous, limestone-rich soil of brilliant white color, produces the best Sherry.” – Guildsomm
  • Prized soil type for Fino production. (“Wines destined to undergo biological aging are sourced from grapes grown in the finer albariza soils, and are produced from the primera yema, whereas those destined for the oxidative aging path of the Oloroso are produced from the pressed segunda yema must.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide)
  • Finest soil type in Jerez. High in calcium carbonate. Most Jerez vineyards are planted on albariza. (Peter Liem)
  • Subtypes:
    • tajón (up to 80% limestone)
    • lantejuela/barrajuela (slightly more clay)
    • tosca (more coarse than the above two)
    • albero (albariza in Montilla)
• Alberese
  • sandstone
  • see Chianti Classico
• Alkaline
  • A soluble base is also called an alkali.
• Alluvial
• Alluvial clay
  • see Alsace (found in the plain at the base of the mountains)
• Alluvial deposits
  • see Brouilly
• Alluvial gravel
  • see Pfalz
• Alluvial sand
  • see Rheingau
  • see Wachau (lower vineyard sites near the river’s edge)
• Alluvial soils
  • see Hunter
  • see Juliénas
• Arenas
  • Sandy (with clay). Red color from iron oxide content. Very little limestone. Poor for Palomino, great for Moscatel. (Peter Liem)
  • see Jerez (“The more fertile—but more difficult to work—barros soils have a higher proportion of clay and are prominent in low-lying valleys. The sandy arenas soils are most common in coastal areas.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide)
• Argillaceous Limestone
  • see Côte d’Or (“If the limestone content is higher it may be termed argillaceous limestone; if lower, the soil is known as marl or calcareous clay.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
• Bajocian Limestone
  • see Montagny AOP
• Barros
  • Dark soil, rich in clay. Less than 30% limestone. Higher yields than albariza, although the resulting wines are less-fine. (Peter Liem)
  • see Jerez (“The more fertile—but more difficult to work—barros soils have a higher proportion of clay and are prominent in low-lying valleys. The sandy arenas soils are most common in coastal areas.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide)
• Basalt
  • Red basalt, see Yarra Valley, AU
  • see Madeira (“On Madeira itself, walls of basalt stone sustain terraces known as poios; they ring the island’s perimeter like steps on the nearly vertical mountainside, and support viticulture on the vertiginous incline. Vines, bananas, sugarcane, and even passion fruit trees grow in close proximity in the island’s fertile volcanic soils.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide
  • see Pfalz
  • see Vulkanland Steiermark (volcanic basalt)
• Bathonian Limestone
  • see Monthélie AOP (Bathonian limestone with red clay and marl topsoils)
• Belemnite chalk
  • fossils of extinct cephalopods
  • see Champagne (“Porous, belemnite chalk subsoil is pushed to the surface on the appellation’s slopes, absorbing heat to protect the vines at night and providing excellent drainage in the wet climate. Belemnite chalk, derived from the fossilized remains of millions of extinct cephalopods, has a high limestone content, which allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity.” – Guildsomm, Champagne Study Guide
• Blue Devonian Slate
  • see Mittelmosel (“This region is known as the Mittelmosel, and Riesling overwhelmingly dominates its vineyards. The soils are composed of dark blue Devonian slate, although red slate characterizes the vineyards near Erden. The absorptive blue slate retains heat and the river reflects warmth onto the vines, allowing them to ripen in a region where the annual average temperature is 49° F—8° colder than the grapevine’s ideal annual temperature.” – Guildsomm, Germany Study Guide)
• Boulbenes
  • see Graves, Bordeaux, FR (mixture of sand, gravel and light clay)
• Brown Clay
  • see Saint-Aubin AOP (limestone and brown clay)
• Brown Earth
  • see Thermenregion
• Brown Limestone
  • see Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Puligny-Montrachet
• Calcareous
  • see Blanchot Dessus, of Chassagne-Montrachet (Origin of Name: “Blanchot,” like blanc, describes the color of the calcareous soil underfoot.)
• Calcareous Clay
  • see Côte d’Or (“If the limestone content is higher it may be termed argillaceous limestone; if lower, the soil is known as marl or calcareous clay.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
• Chaillots
  • limestone debris
  • see Aloxe-Corton AOP
• Clay
  • see Alsace
  • see Cognac, FR (outlying areas)
  • preferred for Merlot (see Bordeaux)
  • “Merlot is particularly successful in Pomerol’s clay-based soils, as evidenced by the wines of Château Pétrus, where the subsoil clay rises very close to the surface.” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide
  • see Bas-Médoc (waterlogged, clay-heavy)
  • see Margaux (more clay than some Médoc chateaux to the north)
  • see Graves (light clay)
  • see Pomerol
  • see Kimmeridgian marl
  • see Côte d’Or
  • see Côte Chalonnaise
  • see Mâconnais
  • see Southern Beaujolais (“Most Beaujolais AOP (and Coteaux Bourguignons AOP) wines are grown and produced in the flatter reaches of southern Beaujolais, where the granite ebbs and the soils begin to look more like the limestone-clay of the Mâconnais…While the southern sector of Beaujolais is flatter, with clay-based soils, the northern topography is marked by the granite hillsides of the craggy monts de Beaujolais.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
  • see Saint-Amour
  • see Montalcino
  • see Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
  • see Champagne (Aube)
  • see Barros
  • see Phylloxera
  • see Rheingau
  • see Kamptal
  • see Thermenregion
  • see Deep Clay
• Clay-Schist
  • see Chianti Classico
• Chalk
  • see Alsace
  • Soft chalk, see Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, Cognac, FR
  • see Champagne (“The Champagne region is renowned for its huge network of cellars carved out of the chalk and limestone subsoil, which provides a perfect natural storage environment of 53-54° F for millions of bottles. A thin layer of clay and sand covers much of the chalk in Champagne; in the Aube to the south clay is the dominant soil type. The houses of Champagne are quick to assert the importance of the region’s soil, but slower overall to embrace the tenets of modern organic and sustainable viticulture.” – Guildsomm, Champagne Study Guide)
  • see Belemnite chalk
  • see Micraster chalk
  • see England (“England is a new frontier for traditional method sparkling wines: the White Cliffs of Dover (and much of southeastern England’s subsoil) represent a natural continuation of the chalk of Champagne.” – Guildsomm, Champagne Study Guide)
• Combes
  • “The côtes are cut here and there by combes—a significant geological feature of the region. These are dry, transverse valleys, carved during the last ice age by melt-water and erosion, which today serve as conduits for both cool breezes and hailstorms. Thousands of years of erosion deposited deep alluvial fans of pebbles and stone at the mouths of the combes, diversifying soil makeup. The combes play a large role in the complexity of the Côte d’Or’s terroir.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide
• Côtes and Graves
  • see St-Émilion (“St-Émilion contains a diversity of soils broadly categorized into two types: the côtes and graves. As a simplification, the hillside côtes are steep limestone slopes and graves is a gravelly limestone plateau resembling soils of the Médoc.” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide)
• Crasse de Fer
  • “The soil of Pomerol is dominated by sand, clay and gravel, with a subsoil of iron pan and rich clay (crasse de fer)” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide
• Croupes
  • see Haut-Médoc (“The Dutch unearthed gravel mounds (croupes) during their drainage work in the 1600s, and the better châteaux are usually located upon these deeper banks of gravel, primarily located within the communes of Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, St. Julien, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc, and Margaux.” – Guildsomm Bordeaux Study Guide)
• Deep Clay
  • see Mittelburgenland DAC
• Diorite
  • volcanic rock
  • see Côte de Brouilly
• Escarpment
  • see Côte d’Or (limestone escarpments)
• Fertile Soils
  • see Volcanic soils
  • see Madeira (“Vines, bananas, sugarcane, and even passion fruit trees grow in close proximity in the island’s fertile volcanic soils.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide
• Flint
• Fossils
  • see Kimmeridgian marl
  • see Montalcino
  • see Champagne
  • see Belemnite chalk
  • see Micraster chalk
• Friable
  • see Galestro
  • allows vine roots to penetrate deeply
  • see Albariza (“The moisture-retentive albariza retains water from autumn and winter rains, while the friable soil structure allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in a search for water trapped beneath its baked, impermeable surface during the arid growing season…the snow-white albariza soils are concentrated on the gentle slopes of Jerez Superior, a sub-region between Sanlúcar de Barrameda and the Guadalete River, which flows into the Bay of Cádiz just to the south of Jerez de la Frontera.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide)
• Galestro
  • soft, friable, marl-like
  • preferred for Sangiovese
  • see Chianti Classico (“Sangiovese thrives on the galestro soils, and comprises a minimum 80% of the Chianti Classico blend.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide)
  • see Montalcino (“Soil is varied in Montalcino, with galestro characterizing the higher-altitude vineyards. Clay is predominant in the warmer southern reaches of the zone, and fossilized marine deposits are scattered throughout Montalcino.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide)
• Galets
• Gföhler
  • see Gneiss
  • see Primary Rock
  • see Wachau (“The soil structure is a combination of loess and gföhler, or gneiss, with a proportion of alluvial sand in the lower vineyard sites near the river’s edge.” – Guildsomm, Austria Study Guide”)
  • see Leithaberg DAC
  • see Weststeiermark
• Gore or Grés
  • see Pink Granite (Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, FR)
  • see Chiroubles (gore is sand produced from eroded granite)
• Gneiss
  • see Gföhler
  • see Primary Rock
  • see Wachau
• Grade
  • see Côte d’Or (“The slope can become quite steep, reaching a 35% grade near the vineyards’ upper limits, but the grands crus generally lie at a gentler grade of 10% or less.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
• Granite
  • see Alsace (steep mountain slopes)
  • see Beaujolais (“While the southern sector of Beaujolais is flatter, with clay-based soils, the northern topography is marked by the granite hillsides of the craggy monts de Beaujolais. The resulting wines are riper, fuller-bodied and more complex.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
  • see Beaujolais Crus (Chénas, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas, Saint-Amour)
  • see Sardinia
  • see Vermentino di Gallura (“Vermentino di Gallura is the island’s sole DOCG zone. At the extreme north end of Sardinia, Gallura is a hot, high-elevation zone with poor, rocky, granitic soils—a paramount requirement for keeping the Vermentino grape’s vigorous ambitions at bay.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide)
• Gravel
  • see Alsace (found in the plain at the base of the mountains)
  • preferred for Cabernet Sauvignon (well-drained, see Bordeaux)
  • “[gravel] allows the vine’s root system to dig deeply while slight water stress adds concentration to the fruit. The grape has difficulty ripening in colder limestone and clay soils.” – Guildsomm.com, Bordeaux Study Guide
  • see Haut-Médoc (well-drained gravelly soils)
  • see Croupes
  • see Pauillac (“In Pauillac the gravel topsoil of the Haut-Médoc is at its deepest point, and the Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines are structured and long-lived.” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide)
  • see Graves (“In Graves, the soil is similar to the Médoc but becomes sandier toward the south.” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide)
  • see St-Émilion, graves (“graves is a gravelly limestone plateau resembling soils of the Médoc” – Guildsomm, Bordeaux Study Guide)
  • see Pomerol
  • see Traisental DAC
  • see Eisenberg DAC
• Graves
  • see Aux Gravains (“Origin of Name: “Gravains,” like graves, refers to vineyard’s soil, composed of sand and fine gravel.” – Guildsomm Compendium)
• Grés or Gore
  • see Pink Granite (Moulin-à-Vent, Beaujolais, FR)
• Grés de Vosges
  • Pink Sandstone
  • see Alsace
• Greywacke
  • see Germany
  • see South Africa
  • see New Zealand
• Greywacke gravel
  • see Hawke’s Bay
• Gypsum
• Harvest Timing, vis à vis encépagement
  • in Bordeaux, see Guildsomm Study Guide, ” Once appropriate soils are identified, an overall encépagement of mixed grapes that flower and are harvested at different times gives the estate a form of insurance.“
• Igneous Granite
  • see Pfalz
• Igneous Rock
• Infertile (poor) soils
  • see Latricières-Chambertin (“Origin of Name: “Latricières” is derived from the Latin tricae, indicating things of little value; in this sense, it describes the poor, infertile soils of this vineyard. The soil here is shallower and the subsoil harder than in neighboring Chambertin.” – Guildsomm Compendium)
  • see Les Vaucrains (“Origin of Name: “Vaucrains” derives from les vaut rien, or “worthless,” implying the soil was very infertile.” – Guildsomm Compendium)
  • see Vermentino di Gallura (“Vermentino di Gallura is the island’s sole DOCG zone. At the extreme north end of Sardinia, Gallura is a hot, high-elevation zone with poor, rocky, granitic soils—a paramount requirement for keeping the Vermentino grape’s vigorous ambitions at bay.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide)
  • see Germany (“In the 1700s, an increase in demand for foodstuffs pushed grapevines from the more fertile soils up to the otherwise unworkable slopes; by the mid-19th century these poor soils were producing serious, lauded wines. Often located near rivers, such as the Mosel, Rhine, Main, Nahe, and Elbe, the south- and southwest-facing vineyards receive direct and reflected warmth of the sun and provide the soil stress that great wines require. These wines were generally made from Riesling grapes, long-lived, and arguably drier in style than most wines now graded by prädikat level.” – Guildsomm, Germany Study Guide)
• Iron
  • see Abruzzo
  • see Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG
  • see Sicily
  • see Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG (“Iron-rich clay over limestone with more sand to the east and south.” – Guildsomm, Compendium)
• Iron-Pan
• Kimmeridgian marl
  • see Chablis AOP and Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, FR
  • “A mixture of limestone and clay laced with millions of oyster fossils…soils derived from it are believed to produce higher quality wines…visible in hillside outcrops around the village of Chablis” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide
• Jory
• Leithakalk
  • see Limestone (Leithaberg DAC)
• Limestone
  • see Alsace (limestone base, on lower slopes)
  • see Cognac, FR (outlying areas)
  • preferred for Cabernet Franc (see Guildsomm.com, Bordeaux Study Guide, “[limestone] promotes acidity and freshness in the wines.“
  • see St-Émilion, “côtes” (steep limestone slopes)
  • see Kimmeridgian marl
  • see Portlandien limestone
  • see Côte d’Or (“Limestone, forged during the Jurassic period, is the building block of the Côte d’Or” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
  • “The limestone escarpments of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune rose upward thirty million years ago as the plain—a rift valley—collapsed, and over time, the Saône River Plain filled with nitrogen-rich, humid clay soils, the result of this geological upheaval and erosion from the côtes. The cooler, wetter soils of the plain are generally inhospitable to the vine; thus, the width of the Côte d’Or’s strand of vineyards is rarely more than two kilometers, running from the base of the slope to the forest edge at its summit, and vines rarely ascend higher than 400 meters in elevation. The slope can become quite steep, reaching a 35% grade near the vineyards’ upper limits, but the grands crus generally lie at a gentler grade of 10% or less. Such a mild incline has tremendously positive impact: soils are slightly deeper and more nutrient-rich than those found on the higher slopes, yet the vineyards remain well-drained—rather than the ultimate recipients of eroded material, like the flat lands nearer the Saône.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide
  • see Côte Chalonnaise
  • see Mâconnais
  • see Southern Beaujolais
  • see Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG
  • see Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
  • see Belemnite chalk
  • see Champagne
  • see Franciacorta DOCG
  • see Pfalz (calcium-based limestone)
  • see Traisental DAC
  • see Leithakalk (Leithaberg DAC)
• Limestone-Marl
  • see Brouilly
• Loam
  • Grey-brown sandy loam, see Yarra Valley
  • Sandy loam, see Hawke’s Bay
  • Sandy loam, see Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG
  • Sandy, alluvial loam over gravel, see Marlborough (excellent drainage)
  • see Kamptal
  • see Carnuntum (stony loam)
  • see Thermenregion (sandy loam)
  • see Vulkanland Steiermark
• Loess
  • see Alsace
  • see Rheingau
  • see Pfalz
  • see Austria
  • see Pannonian Plain (Austria – a former seabed of loess soils)
  • see Wachau
  • see Kremstal DAC (terraces)
  • see Kamptal
  • see Wagram
  • see Carnuntum
• Marl
  • see Côte de Beaune (“Soils in the Côte de Beaune, with the exception of the environs of Montrachet, tend to contain greater amounts of marl and less limestone than those in the Côte de Nuits.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
  • see Galestro (Chianti Classico and Montalcino)
• Metamorphic Rock
• Mica
• Mica-schist
  • see Primary Rock
• Mica-slate
  • see Leithaberg DAC
• Micraster chalk
  • extinct sea urchin fossils
  • see Champagne (“A second layer of micraster chalk, named for an extinct sea urchin, characterizes the valley vineyards.” – Guildsomm, Champagne Study Guide
• Mineral
• Mixed Soil Types
  • see Alsace (“Alsatian vineyards have a myriad of soil types. The land is a geologic mosaic; granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk, loess, and the local pink sandstone—grés de Vosges—can be found throughout the region. Although the soil structure varies greatly from village to village, the steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of schist, granite and volcanic sediment. The lower slopes sit on a limestone base, and the plain at the base of the mountains consists of richer alluvial clay and gravel soils. Reflection on soil type is critical in consideration of the appropriate grape variety.” – Guildsomm, Alsace Study Guide)
  • see Pfalz (“The climate is sunny and dry, and the region has an extremely complex soil makeup, with layers of red sandstone, calcium-based limestone, loess, red slate, basalt, igneous granite and alluvial gravel…the Pfalz’s widely varied soil types generate dramatically different styles of Riesling, even from vineyards in such close proximity. In general, however, Pfalz Riesling is among Germany’s most full-bodied, and the wines are almost invariably dry.” – Guildsomm, Germany Study Guide)
  • see Napa
• Moisture-Retentive
  • see Albariza (“The moisture-retentive albariza retains water from autumn and winter rains, while the friable soil structure allows vine roots to penetrate deeply in a search for water trapped beneath its baked, impermeable surface during the arid growing season.” – Guildsomm, Fortified Wines Study Guide)
• Monts de Beaujolais
  • see Granite
  • see Beaujolais, Burgundy, FR
• Moraine
  • see Franciacorta DOCG
• Oolitic Limestone
  • see Volnay, Santenay
• Oxfordian-Rauracian (Upper Jurassic) limestone
  • see Beaune AOP (“Bedrock: Oxfordian-Rauracian (Upper Jurassic) limestone. The bedrock is younger here than in the Côte de Nuits or further south in the Côte de Beaune.” – Guildsomm Compendium) 
• Pannonian Plain
  • see Loess
  • see Austria
  • see Eastern Bloc (“a former seabed of loess soils stretching from eastern Austria through Hungary and many countries of the former eastern bloc” – Guildsomm, Austria Study Guide)
• Pink Granite
  • see Moulin-à-Vent (locally called gore or grés)
  • see more Beaujolais Crus (Fleurie, Régnié, Brouilly)
• Pink Sandstone
  • see Alsace (Grés de Vosges)
• Poios
  • see Madeira (terraces built with Basalt stone walls)
• Porphyry
• Portlandien limestone
  • see Petit Chablis, Burgundy, FR
  • “On the elevated plateaus above the hillsides Kimmeridgian marl is buried under Portlandien limestone, a younger rock strata and a purer form of limestone. Petit Chablis, typically the simplest wine, is produced from these cooler, wind-exposed sites situated on Portlandien limestone.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide
• Primary Rock
  • see Kremstal DAC
  • see Gföhl gneiss
  • see Mica-schist
  • see Vulkanland Steiermark (weathered primary rock soils)
• Quartz
• Quartzite
  • see Rheingau
• Red Sandstone
  • see Pfalz
• Red Devonian Slate
  • iron-rich
  • see Mosel (Erden and Ürzig)
  • see Rheingau
  • see Pfalz
• Roche Pourrie
  • see Morgon (“‘rotten rock,’ a mixture of volcanic rock, schist, and soft crystalline rock) – Guildsomm Compendium
• Saline soils
  • see Australia, including Riverland GI
• Sand
  • see Hunter
  • see Cognac, FR (outlying areas)
  • see Graves
  • see Pomerol
  • see Chianti Classic
  • see Vernaccia di San Gimignano (“The only white wine in Tuscany to enjoy DOCG status is Vernaccia di San Gimignano: a crisp, pink grapefruit-tinged white wine produced on sandy, rock-strewn soils around the hilltop town of San Gimignano in the Siena province.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide
  • see Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG
  • see Arenas
  • see Phylloxera
  • see Vulkanland Steiermark
• Sandstone
  • see Grés de Vosges, Alsace
  • see Alberese (Chianti Classico)
  • see Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
  • see Kamptal (“In the Heiligenstein vineyard, there is a rare outcropping of weathered sandstone, mixed with volcanic rock.” – Guildsomm, Austria Study Guide)
• Schist
  • see Alsace (steep mountain slopes)
  • see Beaujolais Crus (Côte de Brouilly, Saint-Amour)
  • see Weststeiermark
• Sediment
• Sedimentary Rock
  • see Weststeiermark
• Shallow soils
  • see Kremstal DAC
• Shingle
  • Deep shingle soils, see Gimblett Gravels
• Silex
• Siliceous Clay
  • see Chénas
  • see Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane DOCG
• Silt
  • Heavy silt, see Hawke’s Bay
• Slate
  • preferred for Riesling
  • see Blue Devonian Slate
  • see Mittelmosel
  • see Saar (less-uniform than Mittelmosel, thus less-warming effect – Guildsomm)
  • see Rheingau (“Soil in the upper slope vineyards is dominated by slate, whereas the lower vineyards closer to the water contain a mixture of clay, loess, alluvial sand and red slate. The varied soils of the Rheingau and the favorable mesoclimate combine to produce a more powerful style of Riesling than the Mosel.” – Guildsomm, Germany Study Guide)
  • see Red Slate
  • see Rheingau
  • see Eisenberg DAC
• Soil Mapping
  • see Australia
• Soil Matching (to specific grapes)
  • see Yarra Valley
• Soil Stress
  • see Infertile (poor) soils
  • see Germany (“In the 1700s, an increase in demand for foodstuffs pushed grapevines from the more fertile soils up to the otherwise unworkable slopes; by the mid-19th century these poor soils were producing serious, lauded wines. Often located near rivers, such as the Mosel, Rhine, Main, Nahe, and Elbe, the south- and southwest-facing vineyards receive direct and reflected warmth of the sun and provide the soil stress that great wines require. These wines were generally made from Riesling grapes, long-lived, and arguably drier in style than most wines now graded by prädikat level.” – Guildsomm, Germany Study Guide)
• Subsoil
  • see Pomerol, crasse de fer
• Terra Rossa
  • see Coonawarra
  • see Padthaway
• Terres blanche
• Topsoil
  • thin topsoil, see Kamptal
• Tufa
  • see Campania
  • see Falerno del Massico (“The coastal Massico region in northern Campania today builds on its ancient heritage with the steadily improving wines of the Falerno del Massico DOC. On the volcanic tufa soils of the lower mountain slopes, red wines are produced from Aglianico and Primitivo, and white varietal wines are produced from the fragrant Falanghina grape.” – Guildsomm, Southern Italy Study Guide)
• Tuffeau
  • see Orvieto (“Within the territory of Orvieto, solid red wines are produced on the tuffeau soils of Lago di Corbara DOC.” – Guildsomm, Central Italy Study Guide)
  • tuffeau limestone, see Vouvray AOP
• Volcanic
  • see Alsace (Volcanic sediment, on steep mountain slopes)
  • see Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
  • see Basilicata
  • see Mount Vulture
  • see Aglianico del Vulture Superiore (“Grown on the volcanic soils of the slopes of Mount Vulture, Aglianico can develop great complexity as it slowly ripens, with harvest occurring in late October or early November.” – Guildsomm, Southern Italy Study Guide
  • see Sicily
  • see Mount Etna
  • see Etna DOC (“The Etna DOC is in eastern Sicily, and the vines on the Mount Etna’s slopes benefit from well-drained volcanic soils—but viticulture in the shadow of an active volcano is a risky proposition.” – Guildsomm, Southern Italy Study Guide)
  • see Franciacorta DOCG
  • see Guatemala, for coffee (“Volcanic soils and hillside terraces are prevalent in Antigua and Cobán, Guatemala’s best regions for coffee. Workers must harvest the crop by hand.” – Guildsomm, Coffee Study Guide
  • see Madeira
• Water Retention
  • see Marlborough
• Weathered
  • see Côte Chalonnaise (“Soils here resemble those in the Côte de Beaune—weathered limestone and clay—but the area is no longer protected from prevailing winds by the dominating escarpment of the Côte d’Or.” – Guildsomm, Burgundy Study Guide)
  • see Kamptal (“In the Heiligenstein vineyard, there is a rare outcropping of weathered sandstone, mixed with volcanic rock.” – Guildsomm, Austria Study Guide)
• White Marl-Limestone
  • see Bouzeron AOP
• Willakenzie