Académie Du Vin Library 2025 Explores Wine’s Geological Secrets in Taste the Limestone Smell the Slate

Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate

A geologist wanders through the world of wine Alex Maltman

“Rocks and soils haunt our thinking about wine. We see links, sniff origins, taste connections, digest differences. Is this cause and effect – or fantasy? Alex Maltman is ghostbuster-in-chief. This wide-ranging and clearly reasoned book shines a torch through the cobwebs.. ” Andre Jefford.

Burgandy Thrives on the limestone remnants of a warm, shallow sea while Sancerre and Pouilly wrap their roots around flint. The finest Pomerols bloom in a ‘button’ of blue clay, and Beaujolais famously begins life in granite. Cabernet Sauvignon loves just about any sandstone and Champagne gets on gloriously with chalk. But is the secret to great port really schist? Alex Maltman, emeritus professor of earth sciences at Aberystwyth University, finds himself between a rock and a vineyard place as he explains how a wine’s flavours relate to the geology at foot, and discovers that there is more to ‘minerality’ than mud, rocks and the earth’s stark materials.

Terroir is as intrinsic to the quality of a wine as the grapes it comes from or the intentions of the winemaker. This beautifully produced and illustrated book looks at the many factors that influence, or don’t, how a wine tastes. Professor Maltman poses lots of questions and answers many, while busting some myths along the way. • A beautiful illustrated guide to some of the world’s greatest wine regions, digging deep into the soil and schist. • Written by one of the world’s leading experts on wine geology. • A great gift for any wine lover who cares where their wine comes from. • Myth-busting, engaging and full of debate.

About the author Alex Maltman is Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University, in Wales, UK, and the author of Vineyards, Rocks and Soils: A Wine Lover’s Guide to Geology (Oxford, 2018).

With the critics say

“Alex Maltman has the true teacher’s gift of explaining complicated things in ways that non-specialists can understand. He’s a stimulating and very knowledgeable writer who has made me think deeply about terroir and its influence on wine styles. I’m grateful for his insights”. Tim Atkin MW

“Controversial and challenging in places, Alex Maltman’s book resists easy answers. It provides an exceptional overview of the geology of different wine regions, from the fault lines of California to the volcanic tuff of Etna, while wandering through fascinating snippets of history. Along the way he takes on any number of sacred cows, from the impact of vine age on taste, the concept of minerality, and the link between geology, microbiology, mesoclimate and the construction of terroir. A fascinating book to deepen your understanding and provoke discussion“. Jane Anson

About the book Taste the Limstone, Smell the Slate Publishes April 2025 by Académie du Vin Library

ISBN 978-1-917084-62-8

Price £35/$47.50

The Cynic’s Guide to Wine

Sunny Hodge

Sunny Hodge takes a deep dive into wine science, looking behind the surface of what makes this most fascinating of alcoholic beverages. There’s a lot packed into this book, and it’s full of interest for the wine-curious. Up to date and topical, this is a welcome addition to the current wine literature, written in a way that gives it broad appeal.” Jamie Goode

Much of what is written about wine, whether in wine books, on bottle labels or in the Sunday supplements, uses language that gives wine an air of mystery. While sometimes compelling and enticing for the consumer, this can also lead to confusion regarding the science of wine, as well as fear on the part of the inexperienced wine drinker of ‘getting wine wrong’. In The Cynic’s Guide to Wine, Sunny Hodge strips wine back to its basic science and unravels the facts behind wine flavours, showing readers a clear path through the verbiage. The text takes in elements of horticulture, soil science, botany and sensory science as well as oenology and is provided in bite-sized chunks aimed at the curious non-scientist. This is a straightforward and eye-opening book for anybody who has ever wanted to question the stories told around wine but was afraid to ask.

• The wine book all novice wine drinkers need: strips away the pretension and explains what really matters when it comes to producing the flavours in your glass of wine.
• Questions many of the things we take for granted when it comes to wine, from terroir to the science of winemaking.
• Information is packaged in bite-sized chunks, with helpful text boxes, to make it easy to follow, understand and absorb.
• Beautifully presented and designed.
• The author is the award-winning owner of two London wine bars with a growing reputation as a disruptor within the wine world.

About the book

Format 189 x 230mm (9 x 7.5 in) hardback 240 pages including colour photographs

Publisher Académie du Vin Library Ltd

ISBN 978-1-9170-8463-5 Price £25/$35 Genre Wine, History, Food and Travel

Publication date 31 March 2025

Editorial enquiries Rebecca Clare rebecca.clare @academieduvinlibrary.com

About Académie du Vin Library  Académie du Vin Library is a new imprint founded by Steven Spurrier and friends, dedicated to publishing the finest wine writing of the past, the present and the future. Our list is small and will never be large – because we value quality over quantity. We choose our books with care – above all for their readability, but also because we genuinely believe they have something important to say about the world of fine wine that will enhance your drinking pleasure.

Available from academieduvinlibrary.com.