Wine belt
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The Wine Belt refers to the region between 30-50° north latitude and 30-50° south latitude where climatological conditions are ideal for growing wine. Within those bounds, only areas that have
Influence of climate on viticulture
Beyond establishing whether or not viticulture can even be sustained in an area, the climatic influence of a particular area goes a long way in influencing the type of grape varieties grown in a region and the type of viticultural practices that will be used. The presence of adequate sun, heat, and water are all vital to the healthy growth and development of grapevines during the growing season. Additionally, continuing research has shed more light on the influence of dormancy that occurs after harvest when the grapevine essentially shuts down and reserves its energy for the beginning of the next year's growing cycle.
In general, grapevines thrive in temperate climates which grant the vines long, warm periods during the crucial flowering, fruit set and ripening periods. The physiological processes of a lot of grapevines begin when temperatures reach around 10 °C (50 °F). Below this temperature, the vines are usually in a period of dormancy. Drastically below this temperature, such as the freezing point of 0 °C (32 °F) the vines can be damaged by frost. When the average daily temperature is between 17 and 20 °C (63 and 68 °F) the vine will begin flowering. When temperatures rise up to 27 °C (80 °F) many of the vine's physiological processes are in full stride as grape clusters begin to ripen on the vine. One of the characteristics that differentiates the various climate categories from one another is the occurrence and length of time that these optimal temperatures appear during the growing season.
In addition to temperature, the amount of rainfall (and the need for supplemental irrigation) is another defining characteristic. On average, a grapevine needs around 710 mm (28 in) of water for sustenance during the growing season, not all of which may be provided by natural rainfall. In mediterranean and many continental climates, the climate during the growing season may be quite dry and require additional irrigation. In contrast, maritime climates often suffer the opposite extreme of having too much rainfall during the growing season which poses its own viticultural hazards. Other climate factors such as wind, humidity, atmospheric pressure, sunlight as well as diurnal temperature variations—which can define different climate categories—can also have pronounced influences on the viticulture of an area.
Wine regions
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