| Vines thrive in a couple of fairly narrow bands of | | | | climatic conditions suitable for wines of the best |
| latitude approximately 30-50° North and | | | | standard. Wines are made on the edges of these |
| 30-40° South of the equator. This is because | | | | latitudes, but they are seldom consistent or of |
| the climatic conditions required for growing high | | | | real quality. |
| quality vines are strictly defined. | | | | Soil Conditions |
| 1. Cool Winters | | | | As opposed to most agricultural crops, the grape |
| Vines have to have cool winters when they can | | | | vine does not require fertile, rich, earth to flourish, |
| "sleep" and gather strength for the production of | | | | and the world's premier wines are almost always |
| the subsequent summer's crop. However, it can't | | | | produced from poor quality soils where few other |
| be overly cold, or the roots of the vine will be | | | | crops would be worth planting. The excellent |
| harmed by frost, and the plant will die. | | | | Burgundies come from acidic, granite soil on a |
| 2. Warm, Moist Springs | | | | foundation of limestone, and the superb wines of |
| Spring has to be warm and wet (though not too | | | | Bordeaux are produced from soil made up largely |
| wet) so that the plants can bud and produce the | | | | of gravel and pebbles, on a base of clay or chalk. |
| tiny flowers which will eventually become bunches | | | | The thinness of the earth obviously restricts the |
| of grapes. | | | | quantity of the crop, so that fewer grapes are |
| 3. Long, Hot Summers | | | | cultivated, but of better quality. Also, the poor, |
| Summers should be prolonged, sun-drenched, and | | | | free draining topsoil stimulates the vine to drive its |
| hot. However, too much heat is | | | | roots deeper in search of water and nutrients. |
| counter-productive, as the fruit may ripen too | | | | Since the roots reach further down, complex |
| quickly and scorch. | | | | minerals are absorbed that will add complexity to |
| 4. Dry, Mild Falls | | | | the grapes and, ultimately, to the wine. |
| Falls should be mild and reasonably dry so that the | | | | If the soil is too rich, too full of nitrogen and |
| grapes can easily get to full maturity and the | | | | nutrients, the vine may produce plentiful grape |
| harvest can be finished before rain or cold can | | | | crops, but these will be grapes suitable for eating, |
| damage the mature grapes. | | | | not for making wine. The fruit will be too sweet |
| Most of these stringent requirements exclude | | | | and uncomplicated and will lack in complex |
| much of the northern and southern latitudes, as | | | | minerals, sugars, acids and flavors. |
| these are too cold and have too little sun. The | | | | Vineyards are likely to be situated along river |
| equatorial lands are also excluded, since they are | | | | valleys, on gentle slopes where they have |
| too hot, with no period of time in which the vines | | | | optimum exposure to the sun's rays, where the |
| can sleep. Only in between the latitudes | | | | earth is free draining. |
| approximately 30-50° N and 30-40° S are the | | | | |