Vineyards

The greatest influence on the character of a wine is said to be the weather. However climate is not the only aspect that should be taken into account when siting a vineyard, as both the soil and orientation of the land are also important. Vines are then planted to match both the climate and the soil.

Climate

Vines grow best in a stable climate, where weather patterns are reasonably predictable from season to season and so the vine development can be monitored closely. Even within a vineyard, there can be slight differences in microclimate, which allows different crops or varieties of the same crop to be grown in different areas. The UK is currently at the fringe of the vine growing region, but with climate change, more areas of the country should have suitable weather conditions for growing the correct grapes.

Sunshine

Grapes need plenty of sunshine to ripen, but not too much or they ripen too quickly. The less sunshine the grapes get, the longer they must be left on the vine to ripen and the less flavour they have.

Moisture

Moisture in the atmosphere can cause mildew to develop so climates where there is too much rain or high humidity are unsuitable. Heavy rain can cause grapes to rot on the vine. Drought can cause the vines to wither as well as reduce the soil moisture, which changes the acidity of the soil.

Winds

Light winds can benefit vineyards at any time of the year as it keeps the vines dry and free from mildew. Stronger winds tend to cause some damage to the vines at the end of the rows, but are less of a problem to the more sheltered vines in the middle of rows.

Frost and hail

Frost and hail can cause the whole crop to be lost depending on when they occur. Frost can burn buds and leaves, while hail can damage the current crop or even the future crop as well if it bruises the vines.

Soil and location

Vines like soils that contain plenty of lime - they need moisture during the summer but can not grow well in waterlogged soils. Most vineyards in the northern hemisphere are planted on south-facing slopes as not only does this allow the soil to drain well, but the vines can then benefit from the maximum amount of sunshine from dawn to dusk.

Vineyards:
Vineyards - the seasons
Vineyards - Denbies