03/08/06 Cave B Vineyard Soils

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran and yesterday I was traveling and stopped by Cave B estate winery here in Washington state. I had the pleasyre of running into the winemaker and we had a great chat about the challenges and opportunities of working on an estate winery. And one of the things that it got me thinking about was vineyard soils. So today we'll look at what the soil has to do with how well the vineyard works. It is often debated as to whether the nature of the soil really has that much to do with the resulting wine. Most of the Old World, like Europe, believes that it is a vital part of the finished wine. But what we do know is that vinifera or wine grapes have a need for very well-drained soil. It is important that the soil retains moisture but doesn't become waterlogged. Rocky, gravel and sandy soils retain heat and promote good drainage, which speeds up ripening. Stones will absorb heat during the day and will radiate it back into the vineyard at night, which is a great advantage in cooler climates or cooler vineyard locations. Sloping vineyard property may also provide more concentrated sunlight and good drainage as a bonus. Sometimes the nature of the soil is apparent in the finished wine and you may actually recognize an earthy or mineral like quality that is reminiscent of the vineyard. So in the future you may fine it interesting to join a vineyard tour and then taste some of the differences in wines made by the same winemaker with the grapes that come from different vineyard sites. At Cave B they even have examples of the differing soils on display in the tasting room. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.