Heat and Rain

Climate factors, around the world

Sources:

• Jancis Robinson, World Atlas of Wine, 7th Edition (via Dr. Gregory V. Jones, Southern Oregon University)

Analysis (see full data table)

• Latitude, farthest north
  • England, East Malling, 51.29° N
  • Rheingau, Geisenheim, 49.59° N
  • Champagne, Reims, 49.31° N
  • Niederösterreich, Krems, 48.42° N
• Latitude, farthest south
  • Tasmania, Launceston, -41.54° S
  • Marlborough, Blenheim, -41.50° S
  • Hawke’s Bay, Napier, -39.50° S
  • Yarra Valley, Healesville, -37.81° S
• Latitude, nearest Equator
  • Madeira, Funchal, 32.63
  • Central Coast, Santa Maria, 34.55
  • Japan, Kofu, 35.67
  • Andalucia, Jerez, 36.75
  • Lower Hunter, Cessnook, -32.50
  • Cujo, Mendoza, -32.83
  • Western Australia, Margaret River, -33.53
  • Stellenbosch, Nietvoorbij, -33.90
• Altitude, highest
  • Ribera del Duero, Valladolid, 846m
  • Cujo, Mendoza, 705m
  • Valais, Sion, 482m
  • Douro, Vila Real, 481m
• Altitude, lowest
  • Peloponnissos, Patras, 1m
  • Hawke’s Bay, Napier, 2m
  • Puglia, Brindisi, 10m
  • Corsica, Bastia, 10m
• Average growing season temperature, highest
  • Cujo, Mendoza, 71.6 °F
  • Andalucia, Jerez de la Frontera, 71.4 °F
  • Lower Hunter, Cessnook, 71.0 °F
  • Peloponnisos, Patras, 70.1 °F
• Average growing season temperature, lowest
  • England, East Malling, 57.3 °F
  • Tasmania, Launceston, 58.0 °F
  • Champagne, Reims, 58.4 °F
  • Niederösterreich, Krems, 58.5 °F
• Average annual rainfall, highest
  • Rías Baixas, Vigo, 1786mm
  • Friuli Venezia-Giulia, 1248mm
  • Savoie, Chambéry, 1221mm
  • Japan, Kofu, 1136mm
• Average annual rainfall, lowest
  • Cujo, Mendoza, 207mm
  • Washington, Prosser, 227
  • Central Coast, Santa Maria, 354
  • Rioja, Logrono, 405
• Harvest Months
  • August: Patras, Brindisi, Alentejo, Moldova, Jerez
  • September: Napa Valley, Rhône, Baden, Thracian Lowlands, Alsace
  • October: Niagara Peninsula, Piedmont, Tuscany, England, Willamette Valley
  • February: Lower Hunter
  • March: Mendoza, Stellenbosch, Margaret River, Curico, Hawke’s Bay
  • April: Marlborough, Tasmania

 

• Hazards
  • Too cold
    • Spring frost
    • Winter freeze
    • Underripeness
    • Late ripening
    • High acids
  • Too wet
    • Harvest rain
    • Autumn rain
    • Rain (excess overall), high summer rainfall
    • Fungal Diseases
      • Botrytis
      • Grey rot
      • Downy mildew
      • Powdery mildew
      • Esca
  • Too dry, hot and sunny
    • Drought
    • Over-winter drought
    • Water stress
    • Heat spikes
    • Rapid ripening
    • Sunburn
  • Extreme weather, affecting fruit health
    • Sudden storms, typhoons
    • Summer hail
    • Wind, Zonda
    • Humidity in growing season
    • Low yields
    • Poor flowering weather
    • Coulure, Poor fruit set
    • Rain during fruit set
  • Animals
    • Nematodes (roundworms)
    • Birds
  • Virus
    • Vine viruses
  • Geology
    • Soil erosion

Conclusions

• Temp Range (growing season average)
  • Cool: 57 – 61 °F
  • Moderate: 62 – 66 °F
  • Hot: 67 – 71 °F
• Latitude Range
  • near North Pole: 51.29° N (England)
  • near Equator, North: 32.63° N (Madeira)
  • near Equator, South: -32.50° S (Lower Hunter)
  • near South Pole: -44.82° S (Central Otago)
• Extreme outer latitudes see cooler temperatures (England, Tasmania, Champagne, Marlborough).
• Extreme inner latitudes see hotter temperatures (Lower Hunter, Jerez, Mendoza, Madeira).

#	Country	Region	Weather Station	Latitude Degrees	Altitude, meters	Avg growing season temp, Deg F	Average annual rain, mm	Harvest month	Harvest month rain, mm	Hazards	Main grapes	Source
1	France	Champagne	Reims	49.31	91	58.4	628	Sep	49	Spring frost, fungal disease	Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Meunier	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
2	France	Alsace	Colmar	47.93	207	60.4	607	Sep	58	Soil erosion, occasional drought	P Blanc, P Gris, P Noir, Riesling, Gewurz, Sylvaner	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
3	France	Loire	Tours St-Symphorien	47.44	108	60.4	696	Oct	71	Underripeness, fungal disease	Cab Franc, Chenin Blanc	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
4	France	Burgundy	Dijon	47.27	219	60.3	761	Sep	65	Frost, mildew, autumn rain	Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
5	France	Loire	Nantes	47.15	26	61.0	820	Sep	63	Spring frost, autumn rain	Melon, Gros Plant	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
6	France	Loire	Bourges	47.06	161	60.7	748	Sep	60	Spring frost, hail	Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
7	France	Savoie	Chambéry	45.64	235	61.5	1221	Sep	112	Hail and humidity in growing season	Jacquère, Gamay, Mondeuse, Altesse, Roussanne, Chasselas	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
8	France	Rhône	Valence	44.91	160	64.1	923	Sep	118	Poor flowering weather, fungal	Syrah, Vio, Marsanne, Roussanne	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
9	France	Bordeaux	Merignac	44.83	47	63.8	944	Sep	84	Autumn rain, fungal disease	Merlot, Cab S, Cab F, Sémillon, Sauv B, Muscadelle	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
10	France	Rhône	Avignon	43.91	34	67.4	677	Sep	117	Drought	Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
11	France	Languedoc	Béziers	43.32	15	66.7	579	Sep	70	Drought	Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Merlot, Cab	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
12	France	Roussillon	Perpignan	42.74	42	67.6	558	Sep	38	Drought	Maccabeu, Lladoner Peut, Rolle, Malvoisie du Roussillon	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
13	France	Corsica	Bastia	42.33	10	67.6	799	Sep	81	Drought	Nielluccio, Vermentino, Sciaccarello, Grenache, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
14	Italy	Alto Adige	Bolzano	46.46	241	64.1	596	Oct	54	Spring frosts	Schiava, P Grigio, P Bianco, Chard, Lagrein, Gewurz, P Nero	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
15	Italy	Friuli VG	Udine	46.06	113	64.4	1248	Sep	99	Underripeness (Cab), downy mildew	Merlot, Refosco, Friulano, Ribolla Gialla	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
16	Italy	Veneto	Verona	45.38	73	66.4	783	Sep	81	Hail, fungal diseases	Garganega, Corvina, P Grigio, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
17	Italy	Piedmont	Torino	45.20	302	63.8	741	Oct	75	Downy mildew, hail, underripeness	Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato Bianco, Nebbiolo	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
18	Italy	Tuscany	Firenze	43.80	44	68.3	767	Oct	85	Underripeness, downy mildew, esca	Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Canaiolo Nero	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
19	Italy	Umbria	Perugia	43.10	208	64.6	778	Sep	89	Some esca in older vineyards	Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Sagrantinoi, Trebbiano, Grechetto	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
20	Italy	Puglia	Brindisi	40.65	10	69.9	572	Aug	19	Rapid ripening, water stress, sunburn	Negroamaro, Primitivo, Malvasia Nera, Nero di Troia	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
21	Spain	Rioja	Logrono	42.45	353	64.8	405	Oct	37	Frost, fungal disease, drought	Tempranillo, Garnaca, Viura, Mazuela, Graciano	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
22	Spain	Rías Baixas	Vigo	42.24	261	62.2	1786	Sep	102	Fungal diseases, high winds	Albariño, Treixadura, Loureira Blanca	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
23	Spain	Ribera del Duero	Valladolid	41.70	846	60.3	435	Oct	52	Spring frost, autumn rain	Tinto Fino aka Tinto del País (Tempranillo)	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
24	Spain	Catalunya	Reus	41.15	71	68.0	497	Sep	75	Drought, fungal disease	Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cab Sauv, Parellada, Xarel-lo, Macabeu	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
25	Spain	Jerez	Jerez de la Frontera	36.75	27	71.4	582	Aug	5	Drought	Palomino Fino, Pedro Ximénez	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
26	Japan	Kofu	Kofu	35.67	281	69.3	1136	Sep	183	Rain, summer typhoons, fungal diseases	Koshu, Merlot, Chard, Cab Sauv, Delaware, Kyoho, Niagara	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
27	Portugal	Douro	Vila Real	41.32	481	63.4	1023	Sep	27	Rain during fruit set, drought, erosion	Tour. Franca, Tour. Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
28	Portugal	Estremadura	Lisbon	38.72	77	68.7	774	Sep	6	Rain during fruit set, autumn rain	Castelão, Camarate, Trincadeira, Fernão, Pires, Arinto	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
29	Portugal	Alentejo	Evora	38.57	309	68.1	585	Aug	8	Drought, isolated spring frosts	Aragonês, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet, Arinto, Roupeiro, Antão Vaz	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
30	Portugal	Madeira	Funchal	32.63	58	69.8	627	Sep	2	Fungal diseases	Tinta Negra, Verdelho, Bual, Sercial, Malvasia	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
31	Germany	Rheingau	Geisenheim	49.59	115	59.4	537	Oct	48	Fungal diseases	Riesling, Spätburgunder	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
32	Germany	Baden	Freiburg	48.00	280	61.2	929	Sep	87	Spring frost	Spätburgunder, Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder, Riesling, Gutedel	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
33	UK	England	East Malling	51.29	32	57.3	648	Oct	74	Poor fruit set, high acids, low yields	Chard, P Noir, Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Reichensteiner	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
34	Switzerland	Valais	Sion	46.22	482	58.7	599	Sep	38	Spring frost	Gamay, Chasselas	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
35	Austria	Niederösterreich	Krems	48.42	207	58.5	516	Sep	46	Spring frost	Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Blauer Portugieser, Welschriesling, Riesling, Blaufränkisch	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
36	Hungary	Tokaj	Tokaj	48.10	133	60.4	620	Oct	41	Autumn rain, grey rot	Furmint, Härslevelü, Sägarmuskotály	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
37	Bulgaria	Thracian Lowlands	Plovdiv	42.13	179	64.9	541	Sep	33	Fungal diseases, winter freeze, hail	Merlot, Cab S, Pamid, Red Misket, Muscat Ottonel, Rkatsiteli, Chard, Dimyat, Melnik	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
38	Romania	Moldova	Bacau	46.53	184	60.7	587	Aug	52	Spring frost, drought, Sep rain, winter freeze	Feteasca Regala, Feteasca ALba, Babeasca Neagra, Muscat Ottonel	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
39	Ukraine	Ukraine	Simferopol	44.95	205	61.7	501	Sep	36	Winter freeze	Rkatsiteli, Aligoté, Cab Sauv	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
40	Greece	Peloponnissos	Patras	38.25	1	70.1	658	Aug	5	Drought, sudden storms	Savatiano, Roditis, Agiorgitiko	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
41	Canada	Niagara Peninsula	Ontario	43.18	79	60.1	746	Oct	69	Winter freeze, underripeness	Chard, Riesling, Cab Franc, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
42	United States	Washington	Prosser	46.20	253	64.0	227	Oct	19	Winter freeze	Riesling, Chard, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
43	United States	Willamette Valley	McMinnville	45.13	47	60.6	1060	Oct	80	Fungal disease, underripeness	Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
44	United States	Mendocino	Ukiah	39.15	193	65.8	1014	Sep	11	Over-winter drought, rain at harvest	Chard, Zinfandel, Cab Sauv, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
45	United States	Northern Sonoma	Healdsburg	38.62	33	67.1	1116	Sep	8	Autumn rain	Chard, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
46	United States	Napa Valley	St. Helena	38.50	69	66.8	931	Sep	7	Over-winter drought, spring frost, heat spikes	Cab Sauv, Merlot, Chardonnay, Zinfandel	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
47	United States	Sonoma Valley	Sonoma	38.30	30	64.9	798	Sep	6	Over-winter drought, rain at harvest, spring frost	Chard, Cab Sauv, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
48	United States	Virginia	Charlottesville	38.13	190	66.1	1085	Sep	114	High summer rainfall	Chard, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Viognier, Petit Verdot, Norton	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
49	United States	Central Valley	Lodi	38.11	12	68.7	483	Sep	8	Botrytis, powdery mildew	Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Cab Sauv	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
50	United States	Central Coast	Santa Maria	34.55	77	60.7	354	Sep	4	Late ripening	Chardonnay, Pinot Noir	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
51	Chile	Valle Central	Curico	-34.97	228	63.4	724	Mar	14	Nematodes	Cab Sauv, Sauv Blanc, Chard, Merlot, Carmenère	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
52	Argentina	Cujo	Mendoza	-32.83	705	71.6	207	Mar	26	Summer hail, zonda, nematodes	Bonarda, Malbec, Criolla Grande, Cereza, Torrontés, Barbera, Sangio, Chard	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
53	Australia	Lower Hunter	Cessnook	-32.50	90	71.0	678	Feb	87	Harvest rainfall, fungal disease	Chard, Shiraz, Semillon	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
54	Australia	Western Australia	Margaret River	-33.53	109	66.2	759	Mar	21	Wind, birds	Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Semillon, Chard, Sauv Blanc	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
55	Australia	Barossa Valley	Nuriootpa	-34.55	116	67.6	484	Mar	25	Drought	Shiraz, Cab Sauv, Grenache, Chard, Semillon	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
56	Australia	Adelaide Hills	Lenswood	-35.06	363	63.2	717	Apr	49	Poor fruit set, spring frost	Sauv Blanc, Chard, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Pinot Gris, Riesling	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
57	Australia	Limestone Coast	Coonawarra	-37.75	63	61.9	576	Apr	35	Underripeness, spring frost, harvest rain	Cab Sauv, Shiraz, Chard, Merlot	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
58	Australia	Yarra Valley	Healesville	-37.81	130	65.5	603	Mar	41	Underripeness, fungal disease, frost	Pinot Noir, Chard, Cab Sauv, Shiraz	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
59	Australia	Tasmania	Launceston	-41.54	166	58.0	620	Apr	47	Botrytis, coulure	Pinot Noir, Chard, Sauv Blanc, Riesling	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
60	New Zealand	Hawke's Bay	Napier	-39.50	2	62.9	786	Mar	67	Autumn rain, fungal disease	Merlot, Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
61	New Zealand	Marlborough	Blenheim	-41.50	35	59.7	711	Apr	53	Autumn rain	Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.
62	South Africa	Stellenbosch	Nietvoorbij	-33.90	146	67.5	736	Mar	29	Vine viruses	Cab Sauv, Sauv Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot, Chenin, Pinotage, Chardonnay	Jancis Atlas 7th Ed.