Climate and wine: what is cool climate wine?

Where a grape grows, you taste in the glass. Climate determines ripeness, acidity and the style of a wine.

Warm climate

Plenty of sun and heat give ripe grapes with lots of sugar. That makes full, round wines with ripe fruit and more alcohol, such as a Primitivo from Puglia or a Nero d'Avola from Sicily.

Cool climate

In cooler regions grapes ripen more slowly. The wines have more freshness, lower alcohol and finer aromas. Think of Champagne, Alsace or high-altitude vineyards. This is called cool climate wine.

Local climate matters

Even in warm countries there are fresh wines: sea breezes, altitude or a north-facing slope cool the vineyard. In Sicily the sea wind near Trapani brings freshness to the wines of Barone di Serramarrocco.

Climate change

With warming, many regions harvest earlier and winemakers look for higher or cooler plots. Freshness is becoming ever more valuable.