Just from looking at where a wine is from, you can make a lot of good guesses as to what that wine might taste like! Climate has a huge affect on what grapes are able to grow and what the final wine will taste like in terms of richness and style.
As grapes ripen, their sugar levels rise and their acidity level drops.
- The goal is to find that perfect balance to know when to harvest the grapes!
Too much sugar and not enough acid, the wine can be flabby and dull.
Too much acid and not enough sugar, the wine can be overly tart or sour.
More Sugar = Higher Alcohol
- This is why those sweet dessert wines like Port and Sauternes have high alcohol contents of around 20%!
Heat helps grapes to ripen which increases their sugar level,
meaning more fruity, ripe, lusciously flavored wines. Thick skinned grapes need this intense heat to ripen so that's why Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Syrah (below) thrive in warm climates.
In cool climates, grapes ripen slower, meaning less sugar is produced, and acidity remains high.
These wines tend to be more tart, lean and elegant. Cool climates are good for thinner skinned grapes that can't handle intense heat, like Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc (below) and Riesling.
The same grape grown in two different climates can have very different flavors.
Example: Chardonnay from Napa Valley's warm climate bursts with buttery, oaky, robust flavor. That same Chardonnay grape grown in cool climate Chablis, France is lean and tart, with high minerality and citrus flavors.
Example: Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast, California tends to be darker in color and display riper red fruit flavors. Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon or the famous Burgundy, France, will be much lighter in color, and display earthier spice notes and black currant.
This is also why vintages for wine matter!
- Vintage is the year the wine was harvested.
- Certain years are warmer or cooler, have droughts, floods, fires or frost. All these factors influence what the wine that year will taste like.
Climate change has impacted wine growing regions!
- Normally wine grapes will only grow between the 30 and 50 degree latitudes in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
- But now, some places that never before could grow grapes are having newfound success.
Example: England has started producing world class sparkling wine in a region that used to be too cold for grapes!
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