The vine loves moderation when it comes to climate. Plant it somewhere that is too cold and the grapes just won't ripen at all. Plant it somewhere that is too hot and it can get stressed, and the crop won't ripen correctly. For this reason, most of the world's vineyards are planted in the temperate latitude zones of 30-50 degrees North and 30-50 degrees South. Within these zones the actual climate has a huge influence on the type of wine produced.

In a cool country like Germany, the grapes will ripen slowly. Even if they are not picked until the end of October, they will retain high levels of acidity. Much of this acid goes right through the winemaking and ends up in the finished wine. Not good if you have an ulcer, but crucial to the balance of most great white wines.

Conversely, the build-up of sugar will be very slow. Without much sugar in the grapes, the resulting wine will be relatively light in alcohol. Of course a hot climate will have the opposite effect, usually giving wines with a hefty blast of alcohol and soft acidity.

Like most plants, vines need a decent amount of water to survive and flourish. Historically it made sense to plant vineyards in places where the climate delivers a reliable annual rainfall. Think of the Atlantic dominated climate of Western Europe. With irrigation it is possible to plant vines in some pretty arid places, such as the Central Valley in Chile, the Riverland in Australia, and Washington state - where about the only naturally-occurring vegetation is sagebrush.

With the rise in the temperature the buds will burst and growth starts. This spurt of spring growth produces a profusion of shoots and leaves. Warmth and some rain will help to keep this vigorous growing phase on track.

The grower has to be vigilant for the first sign of any pests and diseases, and apply the appropriate sprays or biological controls. At the end of the spring period the vines flower.

Assuming the flowering was successful, a crop of grapes will set. Dry, warm and sunny weather is then required to swell and ripen those grapes. The vines may need to be trimmed to keep the vineyard neat and to allow good sun exposure and air circulation. This technique is also used to keep the yield down.

If the crop looks like being excessive some properties will cut away some of the immature bunches. Spraying against pests and diseases continues. In the early part of the summer all the grapes are green in colour. Towards the end of summer the colour forms in the skin of the black grapes, a process called 'veraison'.


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