Cool vs. Warm Climate Wines

You hear wine industry folks brag about their cool climate wines, especially when it comes to grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. You don't hear much bragging about warm climate wines even though places like (most of) Napa Valley, Paso Robles and Lodi are definitely warmer growing areas.

Besides temperature you have to consider elevation, winds (warm or cool), cloudiness, rainfall, and humidity. Here we're just going to look at the differences between warm and cool climates. These descriptions are all generalizations as there are always exceptions.

Cool Climate

In cool area the grapes ripen slower giving more acid and less sugar. The resulting wines are lower alcohol and refreshing. You often get tart fruit characteristics like cranberry, green apple plus earthy and herbaceous elements.

If the climate is too cool then grapes will not ripen. Grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (cool climate grapes) will ripen in places a grape such as Cabernet Sauvignon (warm climate grape) will not.

Warm Climate

Warmer climates give lower acids and more sugar so these wines tend to be soft (a description of lower acid wines) and higher alcohol (which often tastes sweet). Fruit flavors are often plums, strawberry, and blackberry.

The Wines

Some grapes do better is cooler areas, others require more heat. Every grape variety has its sweet spot in climate for optimal growing. Some, like Zinfandel and Syrah, have a fairly broad range of climates they will grow in and still produce good, but different, wine.

Major cool climate wines: Chardonnay, Reisling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Major warm climate wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cab Franc. Zinfandel and Syrah are probably best known for their warm climate wines.

So a way to tell the difference between a cooler vs. warmer climate Cabernet, for instance, would be if you get herbal characteristics, tart cranberry vs. ripe, lush red or black fruit. A cool climate Sauvignon Blanc might be herbaceous and vegetative where a warm climate SB might taste of tropical fruits.

Or you might say a Cab grown in too cool of an area is tart, herbaceous, and mouth-drying with heavy tannins. And a Cab grown where it's too warm is soft, flabby, and alcoholic.

Sonoma County

In Sonoma County the major growing areas run something like this from coolest to warmest: Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek, then Alexander Valley -- a generalization as there are microclimates within each of these growing areas.