Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate: A Geologist Wanders Through the World of Wine

What does rock do for wine? As the very platform on which our vineyards sit, we assume it’s the first influencer in line to shape the character of what’s in our glass. Vineyards on limestone will surely differ from those on slate, or sandstone, clay or granite. We can almost imagine the vine reaching its roots down to sip the geological flavours below – then transferring them to the wine in our glass… But it’s not like that at all says Professor Alex Maltman, Emeritus Professor of Geology at Aberystwyth University: Grapevines don’t eat rock...

Illuminating, engaging and fearlessly controversial, Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate is Alex Maltman’s quest to discover the link between vineyard geology and wine flavour. He outlines the science, unravels the metaphors and challenges us to question the accepted truths we read on wine labels and in the press. Rock by rock, soil by soil, he leads us on a geological journey highlighting connections that many of us are simply oblivious of…

While there’s no doubt that the rocks around us do influence the wine in our glass, this book seeks out the proof (indeed, if there is any) that they influence flavour.

A beautifully illustrated, entertaining exploration into the connection between vineyard geology and the wine in our glass• Written by one of the world’s leading experts on wine geology• A great gift for any wine lover who cares where their wines come from• Challenging, engaging and full of debate• From investigations originally published in The World of Fine Wine magazine

Alex Maltman is emeritus professor of Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University in Wales. He has researched and lectured on vineyard geology on four continents and is a seasoned speaker at international conferences. He has contributed to a number of wine books, including The World Atlas of Wine and The Oxford Companion to Wine, for which he is responsible for the geological entries. Alex is the author of the acclaimed book Vineyards, Rocks and Soils: A Wine Lover’s Guide to Geology (Oxford University Press, 2018).