Granite
Granite is responsible for the famous wines of the Southern Rhone Valley. The legendary Chateauneuf-du-Pape has large, granite stones in it.
The effect of Granite in Vineyard Soil
They retain and reflect heat very well. The Beaujolais region also has significant amounts of granite in its soils. California also has some valuable granite influenced vineyards. The Sierra Foothills grows some great Zinfandel, Barbera and Sangiovese in these soils.
But it is difficult to plant and grow grapes in these conditions. It takes a lot of dedication and energy, but the flavor concentration speaks for itself. Granite reduces the acidity of grapes and is thus suited to certain high acid varietals including Sangiovese, Gamay, Barbera and Zinfandel.
These soils increase sugar levels in grapes as well as alcohol in resulting wines. For example, Grenache based wines from the Southern Rhone Valley has high alcohol and low acidity.
Granite is an igneous, plutonic rock made of crystallized minerals. It is usually gray, but can also be black, red or pink. Granite is mainly quartz, feldspar, mica and hornblende but also contains many other minerals in small amounts.
Its name is derived from the Latin word for grain and is very common in continental crust around the world. Granite is a very durable rock that weathers relatively slowly.
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