Tropical Climate Flashcards
Canary Islands
○ off the coast of Morocco, ~500km south of the island of Madeira
○ 28 latitude
○ tropical influence on the climate
○ hot humid conditions in the growing season
○ many islands mountainous with vineyards at altitudes ~1500m ->
cooler days wide diurnal ranges
○ rugged topography -> no machine
○ a range of altitudes and aspects -> a variety of grape varietals
○ no need for grafting as phylloxera is not present
Yunnan
○ far south, subtropical humid climate
○ vineyards typically on slopes at high alt 1600-2900m including in
the foothills of theHimalayas -> moderate temp and reducing
humidity
○ a long frost free season where vines do not need to be buried in
winter
Australia
mountain ranges like the Great Dividing Range from
Queensland to western Victoria: barrier protecting many southeastern
vineyards from tropical weather systems from PacificOcean to the
northeast; those in its rain shadow gets little rainfall eg Riverland
135mmwhereas Hunter Valley the only major region to the east of
mountain range gets 500mm HOT and HUMID
○ New South Wales: subtropical climate, moderate/high temp, high
humidity/rainfall all year erratic
■ most other regions protected from tropical by GDR: inland
continental hot dry esp BigRivers Zone - includes Riverina
○ Hunter Valley Zone
■ OLDEST region: Hunter with 2300 ha planting slightly
smaller area than HunterValley Zone
■ 3 official subregions but unofficially into Lower Hunter and
Upper Hunter
■ lat 32-33, tropical, one of hottest most humid in Aussie, hot
summer days, cool nights, low lat: intense sunshine,
afternoon cloud provide covers
■ Lower Hunter: closer to coast w/ sea breezes thus cooler
than Upper Hunter, hill atlow alt, sandy/clay loams over clay
base
■ rainfall during growing season humid: fungal disease,
irrigation not needed
■ eastern side of GDR, no protection from late summer
tropical storms: warm climate thus start ripening early, and
harvest first due to possible late summer storms
■ 50/50 white/black
■ Semillon: dry light body high acid 10-11%, delicate citrus,
neutral in youth, age for decades into toast, honey, hay;
best wines not released until >=5 years
■ grapes picked early, must gently pressed w/o ANY skin
contact to avoid extraction of phenolic compounds eg
tannins, must ferment at moderate temp in SS then finished
in bottle shortly after, no oak, g/o, $$$-$$$$
