Charles Frankel's Vineyard Land

Great wines draw their aromas from the soil of the vineyards. Chablis smells of the iodine from its fossilized oysters, Sancerre of flint stone, Savennières of warm schist. It's the whole French land that we taste while drinking!

About thirty vineyards, selected for both the quality of their wine and the uniqueness of their terroir, trace the geological history of France, from the formation of the Hexagon 500 million years ago, which can be seen in the slates of Anjou, to the appearance of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon men under the rocks of Solutré, the future terroir of Pouilly-Fuissé. Each of these wines allows us to delve into a mysterious underground world and discover a significant episode in the history of our country.

With each uncorked bottle or visited vineyard, we will explore, along with the geological history of the site, the terroir and the characteristics of a vintage, as described by oenologists, and the dishes suggested by chefs to accompany them.

Maps and itineraries, useful information and good addresses make this book a perfect companion for journeys that are both geographical and geological, oenological and gastronomic.

Charles Frankel, a geologist and specialist in the solar system, teaches in France and the United States. He shares his passion for Earth sciences through television reports and books for the general public, including "The Death of the Dinosaurs" in 1999, and "Terre de France, une histoire de 500 millions d'années" in 2007.