Why do we say mineral or minerality of a wine?

There is a magnificent place in France that is split in two by a river, the Loire. On both sides, there are well-kept and ancient vineyards. Along the banks of the great river, you can find Sancerre on the right bank and Pouilly-sur-Loire on the left bank. Two rocky plateaus crossed by water. The extraordinary thing is that the plateau of Sancerre is made of limestone and silica, while that of Pouilly-sur-Loire consists of hard porphyry. The same grape variety, Sauvignon blanc, is cultivated in both areas.

I remember a vigneron at a tasting with a bucket of water on his table. I saw him dipping the stones and then smelling them. I didn't understand. I approached, and he said to me, “Do you want to smell the mineral scent of silica?” I tried. I dipped the stone in the water and smelled it. Indeed, there was a particular scent typical of entering caves or marble quarries. In short, there was a fragrance. Then the same vigneron took two more rocks and struck them against each other, creating sparks. He brought the two rocks closer to me and made me smell the smoky scent of the volcanic soil porphyries. A sensation of flint and graphite.

What is all this for? It is the difference in minerality that can be found in Sauvignon 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 sounds "cool" when tasting, even though it is often used in a distorted way. 
 

The minerality in the Loire wine region is so perceivable that the wine produced in Pouilly-sur-Loire is called Pouilly fumé. Every land infuses the wine with mineral strength. Think of the elegance of great Barolos produced on the marl hills of Langhe, the wines from the crete senesi, the intense Traminer on the porphyries of Terlano, the Sangiovese on the stony soils of Bolgheri, the Garganega on the small volcanoes of Soave, the characterful Etna Rosso, and so on.

But what are the scents defined as mineral? 
Slate, gasoline, gravel, graphite, hydrocarbons, ink, oil, flint, brine, silica.
Some of you might be wrinkling your nose. Oil? Gasoline? Hydrocarbons? Really? Then do a test. Take a nice Riesling from the Rhine or Moselle. But if you don’t want to travel far, stop by Valtenesi on the Brescia side of Lake Garda and try one. Smell it, and you can't help but notice the hydrocarbon scent. In some cases, it is so strong that it could be mistaken for a defect by those who do not like overly characterful wines. In this case, it is an effect of vinification, and the aroma thus comes from the grapes. In other cases, the soils release components and aromatic precursors that characterize their olfactory qualities.
 

Usually, minerality is always found in particularly clean and clear wines, where the perception of aromatic components is sharp.

Minerality is a characteristic that is perceived when the yields per plant are low. 

The minerality of a wine can be perceived with aging, especially in white wines. Especially with those wines that come from volcanic soils. Sometimes they open up, and it feels like you've fired a shot… I'm exaggerating!
 

Anyway, 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