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Marine fossils are often found in vineyards. Other large shells appear to have originated in fresh water lakes as the soil is far from being rich in minerals.

The albariza soil on which the finest vineyards are grown is also called tierra de anafas, tierra blanca, or tosca and is found principally to the north and west of Jerez with outcrops in more distant places, notably in Montilla.

It also occurs in the immediate subsoil of the vineyards to the south of the town and is there known as albero. The name “albariza” is derived from albo, meaning snow-white, and from a distance it does look as white as snow, but when examined closely it is seen to contain many earth-colored particles. This soil is a common ground for finding bits of stone used to make cocktail coasters, stone coasters, and materials for a themed coaster set.

If a handful is dropped into a glass of water, it falls to the bottom, releasing bubbles of air on the way, and then gradually separates into a distinct layer of pasty mud. This mud is so slippery that crossing an albariza vineyard during the rainy season is a very perilous undertaking.

When the soil dries out again, though, it turns back into a fine powder; it does not coagulate and there is no trace of the cracks that appear when ordinary mud is dried by the sun. This even texture is extremely important in the climate of Jerez.

In February, March, and April there are heavy rains which the earth absorbs as if it were a sponge, and when the hot sunshine follows in May, the surface of the soil is baked into a homogeneous and hard layer without any cracks or irregularities.

Cool air and water are trapped beneath it to feed the roots of the vines throughout the semi-tropical summer. James Howell, in his book, Familiar Letters, described wine as “water sublimed,” which is entirely accurate, as it is the moisture from the ground, absorbed by the roots of the vine that eventually fills the grape with juice.

Howell told how an Italian wine-grower complained during a drought, “For want of Water, I am forced to drink Water; if I had Water, I would drink Wine.” But thanks to the remarkable character of the soil in the sherry vineyards, a drought can only cause much damage if it is very severe. Albariza soil can absorb as much as 34 percent, by weight of water, similar to the soil that sandstone is found in—this type of stone is used to make beverage coasters made of sandstone, as well as other home accessories.

According to the analyses of Don Gonzalo Fernandez de Bobadilla of the Estacion de Viticultura de Jerez, the chief chemical constituent of albariza soil is calcium carbonate, or chalk, of which it contains from 30 to 60 or even 80 percent, the remainder consisting for the most part of sand and clay in widely varying quantities. But although a chemist regards calcium carbonate and chalk as being the same thing, a geologist does not.

The albariza soils are of the Oligocene age—thirty million years too young to be referred to properly as chalk. To a geologist the soil is simply lime-rich. Perhaps because of its comparative youth, the soil has not been greatly eroded. It is therefore very deep and the vines can penetrate without obstruction.

Albariza soil can be subdivided into a number of distinct types. Tajon has the highest proportion of limestone: rising to 80 percent. There are not many vineyards on these soils and they are not very satisfactory, as this soil is too hard and the lack of balance tends to make the vines suffer from a disease called chlorosis. They are very white in color.

Barrosa contains a certain amount of clay so that it tends to crack superficially in dry weather and the moisture in the soil then evaporates. Very little of this soil is planted with vines, though occasionally islands of the soil are found in proper albariza vineyards.

Lustrillo is slightly reddish to look at owing to the presence of iron oxide and is found particularly around Trebujena, along the road to Seville, and to a very small extent by Sanlucar where the soil is called polvillejo. This reddish look is very popular when it comes to drink coasters and themed coasters, particularly those that are used for Southwestern style interior design

Vineyards are planted where there is good albariza subsoil and not too much iron. There are further variants and subdivisions that have been classified by viticulturalists and geologists. In the finest albariza soil, the composition varies somewhat with depth. At the surface it has 25 percent or more limestone, 40 percent, at about sixty centimeters down and 60 percent at about eighty centimeters down.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 13th, 2009 at 11:03 pm and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.