Friday Fact: Waiter, there are rocks in my glass!
In describing the white wines of the Loire, you’ve often heard us use terms like “flinty”, “chalky” and “minerality.” Have you been scratching your head, wondering what exactly we mean by that?
Wine experts have long agreed that minerals in vineyard soils show up in the glass. This is certainly true in the Loire, where wines are often described as having aromas of flint, chalk, and graphite.
Silex, a type of ground stone, is a typical soil found in Sancerre
The idea that the soil in which the grapes are grown can be tasted in the final wine has been an age-old debate amongst wine lovers. In general, French winemakers, with their belief in terroir – the special defining characteristics of their particular plot of land – are strong proponents of this concept. And, in the Loire in particular, winemakers seem to have an excellent case for their argument.
This “chalkiness” or “flintiness” that you can taste in a crisp Sancerre, that’s thanks to the soils of – you guessed it – chalk and flint in the region. The “gun smoke” in Pouilly-Fumé? Yes, that’s a gift from the limestone, flint and clay soils throughout the appellation. Similarly, the minerality that is characteristic of Vouvray is a product of the flint-clay or limestone-clay top soils that sit on top of the region’s well-known tuffeau foundation, a type of limestone that is used to build many of the Loire’s magnificent châteaux (which we told you about in Monday’s post).
When it comes to making wine, the grapes are certainly an important part of the final product, but they are in turn reliant on a number of other factors to reach their highest potential. Rain, sunlight and, of course, nutrients from the soil, play a large role in determining the quality of the grapes. And, in the best wines, the impact of each shines through in every sip. While you may not see them, there are certainly rocks in your glass – or at least the effects of them.
So, next time you raise a glass of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé or any other Loire Valley white, toast not only to the grapes, but to the soil that helped create them.