Burgundy thrives on the limestone remnants of a warm, shallow sea while Sancerre and Pouilly wrap their roots around flint. The finest Pomerols bloom in a 'button' of blue clay, and Beaujolais famously begins life in granite. Cabernet Sauvignon loves just about any sandstone and Champagne gets on gloriously with chalk. But is the secret to great port really schist? Alex Maltman, emeritus professor of earth sciences at Aberystwyth University, finds himself between a rock and a vineyard place as he explains how a wine's flavours relate to the geology at foot, and discovers that there is more to 'minerality' than mud, rocks and the earth's stark materials...

Terroir is as intrinsic to the quality of a wine as the grapes it comes from or the intentions of the wine maker. This beautifully produced and illustrated book looks at the many factors that influence, or don't, how a wine tastes. Professor Maltman poses lots of questions and answers, while busting some myths along the way.

About the Author

Alex Maltman is emeritus professor of Earth sciences at Aberystwyth University, in Wales, UK, and the author of Vineyards, Rocks and Soils: A Wine Lover's Guide to Geology (Oxford, 2018).

Book Information
ISBN 9781917084628
Author Professor Alex Maltman
Format Hardback
Page Count 280
Imprint ACADEMIE DU VIN LIBRARY LIMITED
Publisher ACADEMIE DU VIN LIBRARY LIMITED