🪨 Tuff
A soft rock made of compacted volcanic ash.
Tuff is a soft stone formed from compacted volcanic ash. It is light, porous and easy to work. It can be sawn and carved with ease, and it hardens in the air over time.
Tuff matters for wine in two ways. First, cellars and caves are often dug into it: inside it is always cool and damp, and the temperature stays even, which is good for storing wine. The cellars of Tokaj in Hungary are an example, with volcanic tuff slopes full of underground galleries. Second, volcanic soil with tuff gives vineyards drainage, so water does not stand and roots go deep.
Tuff is a volcanic rock, like pumice. Wines from such soils are often described as mineral. Many old European wineries still keep wine in tuff cellars cut centuries ago.
How it connects to Wine
🪨 Tuff → then → 🍷 Wine cellar → stores → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Next step
- 🍷 Wine cellar
- Where it happens
- 🍷 Cave cellar
- Previous step
- 🏛️ Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
- Part of
- 🪨 Volcanic soil
Frequently asked questions
What is tuff?
A soft, porous rock made of compacted volcanic ash.
Why are wine cellars dug into tuff?
It is easy to cut into, and inside it is cool and damp at an even temperature, which suits wine.
Does tuff affect the taste of wine?
It gives soil good drainage. Wines from such soils are often called mineral, but taste depends on many other things too.
What to read next
- 🍷 Wine cellar — A cool, dark underground room for storing and ageing wine.
- 🏛️ Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes — A valley of castles and vineyards in France; UNESCO heritage.
- 🍷 Cave cellar — A cellar dug into rock or a hill, naturally cool.