Albariza soil of Jerez is one of the many factors of

Albariza soil of Jerez is one of the many factors of Terroir for the Palomino grape in Sherry. This is my hand crushing a block of Albariza soil into powder in the Macharnudo vineyard of @valdespinosherry · ℹ️ The soil gets its name from the Latin word Albus, which means white. When you drive around Jerez you can see the white hills covered in vines. So why are they white? Well we refer to them as chalk and while not "technically" chalk they are geologically pretty close. They are limestone rich soils with large percentages of Calcium Carbonate, which is formed from decomposed marine fossils. There are many sub types (with unique names) of Albariza soils that are based on the percentages of calcium carbonate, limestone, clay, and sand· ☔️ People tend to think of Jerez as a dry place, but it gets a fair amount of rain (600 mm per year), but it all happens in the late fall to early spring. Since irrigation is forbidden, this is where the magic of the soil comes in. Albariza soil can retain up to 34% of it's weight in water. Also, once the top part of the soil dries it creates a caked layer that slows the rest of water underneath from evaporating. This gives vines access to water for the other half of the year. Vineyard managers may also create holes or banks in the soil to trap the rains after harvest resulting in the vineyards looking like white rolling waves. The soil is usually tilled several times a year and honestly is super soft with a lot of give when walking on it· Special thanks to the team at Valdespino for hosting me 🙏· #spain #andalucia #jerez #sherry #valdespino #macharnudo #palomino #albariza #palominofino #jerezdelafrontera #wine #vin #vino #葡萄酒 #vinho #wein #winelover #winegeek #winetasting #wsetdiploma #winestagram #wineterroir #sommelier #winelife #wineoclock #postmorewine #lovewine #winetime #wineporn #instawine