US Climate and Geography

Question 1

What latitudes does the main part of the continental United States lie between?

Answer 1

30°N and 49°N

Which puts the United States in the prime zone for grape growing

Question 2

How does latitude influence grape growing?

Answer 2

The lower the latitude, the warmer the climate is and the stronger the sunlight a vine will receive, both of which (up to a ceratin point) translate into riper, healthier grapes

Question 3

How do higher latitudes make grape growing more difficult?

Answer 3

At higher latitudes (that is, farther north), shorter growing seasons, generally cooler summers, and cold winters make it more challenging to routinely produce a good harvest.

Question 4

How do higher latitudes make grape growing easier?

Answer 4

Vineyards in the north have more hours of sun in midsummer

Question 5

How do high latitudes influence grape selection for winemakers?

Answer 5

Growers in the higher latitudes may need to limit themselves to certain grape varieties that ripen early or tolerate cooler temperatures.

Question 6

In what two ways do mountain ranges effect winegrowing in the United States?

Answer 6

1. Because of the multiple mountain ranges on the western coast, a large percentage of the Western United States is high-elevation terrain
2. Mountain ranges effect climate as barriers to airflow and create rainshawdows or air funnels

Question 7

How does high elevation terrain infleunce grape growing

Answer 7

High elevation areas have conditions similar to those of places with more northern latitudes in the United States, with overall cooler temperatures, especially in the evenings and nights.

Question 8

In what parts of the United States is elevation beneficial?

Answer 8

Southern parts of the United States. Especially New Mexico and North Carolina

Question 9

In what parts of the United States is elevation detrimental?

Answer 9

In most of far northern California and eastern Oregon. In these locations the high elevation and cold temperatures makes viticulture impossible.

Question 10

Where in the United States do mountain ranges act as significant barriers to airflow?

Answer 10

The series of coastal ranges that parallel the shoreline from Southern California to Oregon and beyond are a significant example

Question 11

What are the small scale effects of mountains as barriers to airflow?

Answer 11

Mountains disrupt wind patterns. Mountain ranges channel air up river valleys or through lower saddles which changes local conditions relative to other nearby areas.

Question 12

How do mountains create rainshadows for their interior valleys?

Answer 12

Mountains force maritime air masses upward to get over the mountains. In the process, the air cools and potentially causes precipitation. On the back side of the mountains, the now drier air falls, warms, and delivers low humidity to interior valleys.

Question 13

How do the Rocky Mountains impact grape growing in the United States?

Answer 13

The massive Rocky Mountain chain introduces unstable vortexes in the upper atmosphere that draw warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico and send it across the eastern United States in alternating warm and cold fronts. This makes the Eastern states (especially the ones that border the Atlantic Ocean) much more humid and rainy than the western states in the summertime. As a result of this extra moisture, eastern grape growers must deal with greater threats from diseases, hail, and other pests than their counterparts in the West.

Question 14

What element of climate has the greatest effect on American winemaking?

Answer 14

Oceans

Not suprising due to the fact that oceans are so large.

Question 15

How do oceans flow in the northern hemisphere?

Answer 15

In the northern hemisphere oceans have clockwise current flows

Question 16

How does the California Current impact grape growing?

Answer 16

The Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States’ California Current flows from north to south. This brings cold water from the Gulf of Alaska to the sunny beaches of California and helps to moderate temperatures in the state.

Question 17

How does the Gulf Stream impact winegrowing in the United States?

Answer 17

On the East Coast of the United States, the clockwise current of the ocean known as the Gulf Stream moves from south to north. This pulls warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea northward to moderate water temperatures all along the Atlantic Coast into Canada and ultimately even Europe. This warming effect has its benefits, but adds to the humidity on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Question 18

How does the Gulf of Mexico impact the climate of the United States?

Answer 18

The Gulf of Mexico is a relatively shallow, almost landlocked body of water that bakes under the heat of the subtropical sun and becomes quite warm in summer, making it the real engine of humidity for the entirety of the Eastern United States.

Question 19

What is continentality?

Answer 19

The farther a location is from the ocean or other large body of water, the less it will feel the water’s temperature moderating effects.

Question 20

What is a continental climate?

Answer 20

Inland sites far from the coast or large bodies of water will usually experience warmer summers and much colder winters

Question 21

How do larger lakes impact winegrowing climates?

Answer 21

Large lakes can play a similar role to oceans but on a smaller scale. This means moderating temperatures, but also increasing humidity and disease pressure.

Question 22

What wine regions of the United States are greatly influenced by their large lakes?

Answer 22

Most notable are the five Great Lakes in the Upper Midwest between the United States and Canada which have a vital influence on the wine industry of this region. The Great Lakes provide cooling in the summer and, even more importantly, warming in the winter which makes grape growing possible in a large section of lakeside land. The Finger Lakes in New York are another example of this same climatic influence.

Question 23

What is the general viticultural breakdown of the United Sates winegrowing regions climatically?

Answer 23

In a broad generalization:

1. California
2. Pacific Northwest
3. Great Basin or Rocky Mountains
4. The Great Plains
5. The Southeast
6. The Mid-Atlantic states
7. The Upper Midwest and Northeast

Question 24

What is the general climate of the Californian winegrowing region of the United States?

Answer 24

California has the most suitable climate for growing grapes thanks to its abundant sunshine, low humidity, and mild winters. This is confirmed by the dominant position California has in US wine production. Only the deserts of Southern California and the high elevations elsewhere in the state are inhospitable to grapes.

Question 25

What is the general climate of the Pacific Northwest winegrowing region?

Answer 25

The Pacific Northwest (made up of Oregon and Washington State) has some outstanding grape growing regions that share many of California’s advantages, but only in parts of the states that are shielded by mountain ranges from the Pacific Ocean’s cold air and storms as well as those that are not too high in elevation.

Question 26

What is the general climate of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain winegrowing region?

Answer 26

The Great Basin and Rocky Mountain regions east of California, Oregon, and Washington are difficult areas for grape growing due to the high elevations, short growing seasons, and cold winters. Conditions are more promising in the south, especially in New Mexico and Texas.

Question 27

What is the general climate of the Great Plains winegrowing region?

Answer 27

The Great Plains are a difficult winegrowing region because of extreme weather during the growing season and cold winters.

Question 28

What is the general climate of the Southeast winegrowing region?

Answer 28

The Southeastern United States, which stretches from Texas to South Carolina, is generally too hot and humid in the summer for most species of wine grapes to ripen. Exceptions to this characterization are found in upcountry areas in the Ozarks and the Appalachian Mountain Ranges, which are where most of these states’ vineyards are found

Question 29

What is the general climate of the Mid-Atlantic states winegrowing region?

Answer 29

The Mid-Atlantic states are hot and humid in the summer, but can also be very cold in winter. Frosts at either end of the growing season can do serious damage to the vines.

Question 30

What is the general climate of the Upper Midwest and Northeast winegrowing region?

Answer 30

The Upper Midwest and the Northeast have milder summers than the Southeastern United States, so grapes can do well here; although heat, humidity, and cold winters can still present a challenge for grape growers. For these regions, most vineyards in these states are congregated around bodies of water to take advantage of the moderating effects in both summer and winter.