Vassilis Kotsarinis (asker) Jan 20, 2021:

Unfortunately, the rest of the document refers to the production of a wine. So the context is not very relevant. However, I think that either "alluvial deposits" or "pebble-strewn soils" is close.

Althea Draper Jan 19, 2021:

@ James I believe this is the original but chunks of it have been copied and pasted into many other documents as well.
"Le département de la Drôme connaît une géologie entièrement sédimentaire allant de l’ère secondaire (Trias) à l'ère quaternaire. Les alluvions quaternaires sont particulièrement bien développées dans la vallée du Rhône, la plaine de Valence à la confluence de l'Isère, la vallée du Roubion et la vallée de la Drôme.
On y trouve des sols caillouteux "argilo-calcaires" et des sols d'épandages caillouteux (sur les pentes et les reliefs) qui offrent à la vigne une alimentation en eau régulière et la restitution, durant la nuit, de la chaleur emmagasinée le jour. On trouve également des sols loessiques et des sols sablonneux qui offrent en revanche une alimentation hydrique plus contrastée. Cette grande diversité des sols explique une diversification de l’encépagement."

More here https://web.archive.org/web/20151008022519/http://agricultur...

James A. Walsh Jan 19, 2021:

@Vassilis What do the preceding and next paragraphs say? What specific geographic location is it referring to? What are your thoughts? All this info is context so very relevant...

Althea Draper Jan 19, 2021:

This reference says that 'épandages caillouteux' are of cryoclastic origin i.e. stones that are the result of freeze thaw of upper areas of mountains during periods of glaciation (which caused chunks of stone to break off and fall further down the mountain).
https://www.sommeliers-marseille-provence.fr/la-region/appel...
This one says that 'épandages caillouteux' are the result of alluvial deposits i.e. the moraine that's dragged down a valley by a glacier as well as anything that eskers will have washed down.
https://www.larvf.com/fixin-la-pierre-precieuse,4646493.asp

Thomas Miles Jan 19, 2021:

Conor: ... but 'deposits' is a proper word.

Vassilis Kotsarinis (asker) Jan 19, 2021:

ok there is also "epandages torrentiels, pierreux, sableux"

Conor McAuley Jan 19, 2021:

Spreadings is... ...not a proper word.

I wouldn't even have a guess about "épandages".

Vassilis Kotsarinis (asker) Jan 19, 2021:

OK! But this "spreadings" is really confusing...In any case thank you for your efforts!

Conor McAuley Jan 19, 2021:

Fair enough I could only guess at épandages (spreadings, literally, but expanses in this context?) and I've worked in wine translation a fair bit.

Vassilis Kotsarinis (asker) Jan 19, 2021:

However, according to my google research the term refers to any context (not only wine)

Conor McAuley Jan 19, 2021:

No problem With this kind of geology, wine experts will probably be able to help you more than geologists.

There should be a category or a sub-category available called Wine/oenology, Viticulture/viniculture, something along those lines.

Vassilis Kotsarinis (asker) Jan 19, 2021:

Yes you are right, sorry!

Conor McAuley Jan 19, 2021:

Wine! Probably appropriate to put something about wine, vineyards or terroir in your headings, as previously noted.