Why do we say mineral or minerality of a wine?

There is a magnificent place in France that is cut in two by a river, the Loire. On both sides there are tidy and ancient vineyards. Along the flow of the great river, Sancerre is located on the right bank and Puilly-sur-Loire on the left bank. Two rock platforms crossed by water. The extraordinary thing lies in the fact that the Sancerre plateaux is composed of limestone and silica, the Puilly-sur-Loire plateaux is composed of hard porphyries. The same grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc, is cultivated on both territories.

I remember a Vigneron at a tasting with a bucket of water on his banquet. I could see him dipping rocks and then smelling them. I didn't understand. I came up and he said, “Do you want to smell the mineral scent of silica? ”. I tried. I dipped the rock in the water and smelled. Well, a peculiar scent came out, typical of when you enter the caves or marble quarries. In short, there was a scent. Then Vigneron himself picked up two more rocks and slammed them one against the other, causing sparks to explode. He brought the two rocks closer to me and let me smell the smoky scent of the porphyry of the volcanic soils. A feeling of flint and graphite.

To what end is all this? This is the difference in minerality that can be found in the Sauvignons produced in Sancerre and Pouilly. In short, there was a reason why those wines were so different from each other. So mineral is not just a term that “looks cool” when tasted, even if in fact, it is often used in a distorted way.

The minerality in those parts of the Loire vineyard is so perceptible that the wine itself produced in Pouilly-sur-Loire is called Pouilly fumè. Every land imbues wine with mineral strength. Let's think of the elegance of the great Baroli produced on the marly rocks of the Langhe, the wines that are born from the Crete Senesi, the intense traminers on the porphyries of Terlano, the Sangiovese on the Bolgheri stones, the Garganeghe on the small volcanoes of Soave, the characteristic Etna Rossi and so on.

But which scents are defined as minerals?
Slate, gasoline, gravel, graphite, hydrocarbons, ink, oil, flint, salt, silica.
Some of you may be turning up your noses. Oil? Gasoline? Hydrocarbons? Macchè? Then give it a try. Have a nice Rhenish or Moselle Riesling. But if you don't want to go far, pass by Valtenesi on the Brescia side of Lake Garda and try one. Smell it and you can't help but smell the hydrocarbon. In some cases it is so strong that it could be confused with a defect by those who do not like wines that are too characterful. In this case it is an effect of vinification and the aroma therefore derives from the grape. In other cases, the lands release aromatic components and precursors that characterize their olfactory qualities.

Minerality is usually always found in particularly clean, clear wines, where the perception of the aromatic components is clear.

Minerality is a character that is perceived when plant yields are low.

The minerality of a wine is perceived as it ages, especially in white wines. Especially with those wines that come from volcanic lands. Sometimes they open up and it feels like a shot has been fired... I'm exaggerating!

However, always remember that finding this character in a wine elevates its prestige and makes it much more intriguing. Try to find the minerality!

Fabio De Vecchi