🪨 Limestone

Limestone is a rock formed from the remains of ancient shells and marine organisms. It occurs in many famous wine regions. For grapes it is valuable because it holds water and releases it gradually, and it gives wines freshness and a lean structure.

Burgundy is a vivid example. There, limestone underlies the climats, individual plots with a long-known character. Related materials are chalk and terra rossa, the red clay that lies on top of limestone. They have their own features, but the idea is similar.

Not all vines tolerate a lot of lime: it can cause iron deficiency. That is why rootstocks that tolerate lime, for example from Vitis berlandieri, are used on limestone soils.

Wines from limestone soils are usually described as mineral, with good acidity. That is a description of taste, not scientific proof, but it helps orientation.