Soil Color
Soil color can tell you a lot about a vineyard. Lighter colors have lower levels of organic matter, better drainage and higher oxidation.
The role of Soil Color in the Vineyard
These are often soils with course textures in hot climates. Dark colors have higher levels of organic matter, worse drainage and less oxidation.
Bright colors deeper in soils indicate that air moves freely; therefore the soils are oxidized. Red and tan to brown soils drain very well, yellow soils drain well and gray or other duller colors drain poorly.
Grapevines like porous, oxygenated soils. Vines cannot be successfully grown in less than 30 inches of well-drained soils. Roots cannot survive in unporous soils.
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