Alex Maltman has an Honours degree in Geology from the University of Liverpool and both an MS and PhD from the University of Illinois. During his career as a geology professor, Maltman enjoyed winemaking as a hobby, leading to a second career as a wine writer, investigating the connections between vineyard geology and the taste of its wine. His new book Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate is out 14 April 2025.
How long have you been writing about wine?
About 25 years.
What’s the oldest wine you’ve ever tasted, and what was it like?
I enjoy old Armagnacs, and I have some very old Macallan malt whiskies, but wine? Nothing very memorable, I’m afraid.
If you had to drink wine from one region for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
South Australia, though perhaps with its great heritage, vast variation in terroirs, wine styles, etc, that’s cheating?
Who is/was your mentor?
Hugh Johnson, through his books, with their beautifully concise and perceptive prose. And especially the World Atlas of Wine. I bought the First Edition on its publication and gazed endlessly at the marvellous maps. I still do.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Spending 18 hours and more travelling to see my grandchildren.
What do you consider the most over-used word or phrase in wine writing?
Mineral.
Which wine-tasting talent would you most like to have?
Any would be good.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Raising two happy children.
What is your most treasured possession?
A scale-model fishing boat, the ‘Boy Alex’, made in 1947 by my Scottish fisherman uncle.
Which fictional character would you love to share a bottle with?
One of the characters from Monty Python. Perhaps we could share a bottle of Chateau Blue (‘for its lingering afterburn’), a Perth Pink (‘a wine for laying down and avoiding’) or a 1970 Coq du Rod Laver (‘has a kick like a mule: eight bottles and you're really finished’).
Why did you write Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate?
The feature articles I have been writing each year for the World of Fine Wine magazine have been very well received and, it seems, readers value the geological insight I am able to bring to the various themes. But I realise that by their very nature magazine articles are ephemeral. Useful or not, over the years they tend to get put aside and the content lost. Books are so much more enduring.
Hence, I had the idea that an anthology of some of these articles in book form might be a useful contribution to the wine literature and reach a wider audience. And if I added some new essays of similar style and length it could make an intriguing assortment of themes: one that ranged over diverse winey topics, but all seen through the prism of vineyard geology. With independent chapters of digestible length, it would form an eclectic collection that a reader could dip into at random.
So, I put together just such a compendium. I called it ‘Taste the Limestone, Smell the Slate’ but I think the book’s subtitle – ‘A geologist wanders through the world of wine’ says it all.
