Warm Climate Wines vs Cool Climate Wines

Where Are The World’s Wine Regions Located?

Wine regions all sit within the circles of latitude at 40° to 50° north and 30° to 40° south of the equator. The two longitudinal zones running through the Northern and Southern hemisphere tend to have a temperate climate (seen below in green) or a subtropical one (seen below in orange), which both provide optimum temperatures and conditions for grapes to grow healthily. These ideal areas for viticulture that circle the globe are known as the wine belt.

This is a good starting point for getting your head around warm climate and cool climate regions, as we can clearly see from the map that the orange zones include hotter wine-producing countries such as Australia, Italy, South America and South Africa, while the green zones include cooler countries like Germany, the UK, most of New Zealand and North America.

Now, let’s get into what this all means when it comes to lovely, delicious wine!

How Does Warm Climate Influence Wine?

Wine regions that are considered to have a warm or hot climate for viticulture range from 17-22°C during the day throughout the growing season. They tend to have ample sunshine hours, low annual rainfall, and don’t really experience frosts. We’re talking Spanish wine regions, the hottest wine regions of Australia, Argentinian wine regions, the wine-producing areas of Brazil and generally any New World or Southern European country that sits that little bit closer to the equator.

Warm Climate Wine Styles

Body = Medium to full
Warm climate wines tend to be full and fruity because the grapes contain more sugar than grapes grown in colder weather. This is because high temperatures and abundant sunshine allow vines and their fruit to develop very high natural sugar levels (because sunlight, of course, is a key part of photosynthesis).

Alcohol = Medium to high
Wines crafted in a hotter climate are higher in alcohol. This is because when the sugar-filled grapes are crushed and go into the fermentation process to be turned into wine, there’s lots of sugar in the juice for converting into alcohol!

Acidity = Low to medium
Warm temperatures allow grapes to ripen quickly, which means that the fruit develops high levels of sugars very quickly, but not much acidity.

Mouthfeel = Rich
A full body and bold palate create a luscious mouthfeel.

Tannins = Medium to high
Warmer weather means that grapes develop very thick skins as they grow in the blazing sunshine. As skins and pips are what lead to tannins in wine, it makes sense that vino produced in warm and hot regions tends to have strong tannins. (This only really refers to red wine, of course.)

Appearance = Darker, denser colours
A wine gets all of its colour from the grape skins, so thick-skinned grapes produce wines with deep, vibrant colours (red wines will be bold shades of ruby and purple, while white wines are yellow or golden in appearance – you can find out more about what the colours of wine signify here). The colours are more dense too, so if you hold a glass of warm climate red wine against a light surface, you’ll see that little / no light shines through the wine, and that all you can see is a dense block of colour.

Warm Climate Wine Flavours

Aromas = Fruity and pronounced
On the nose, rich reds express intense black fruit aromas, while warm climate whites display fruity nuances that are more tropical.

Fruity flavours = Bold, jammy and tropical
The high sugar levels in the grapes (caused by the heat) lead to sweeter fruit flavours on the palate such as dried apricot, raisins, banana and pineapple.

Complex flavours = Nutty, bitter, spicy and generally more sweet
Red wines that have seen a bit of ageing may offer dessert-like flavours of chocolate and liquorice, and any wine aged in American oak barrels will likely display sweet notes of coconut and vanilla.

Warm Climate Grape Varieties

Red grapes = Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Shiraz, Tempranillo, Zinfandel (Primitivo)
These are all known for being big, punchy reds with heaps of pronounced fruit flavours and character, which are all classic qualities of a red that’s been produced in a warmer climate.

White grapes = Chardonnay, Viognier
Chardonnay will grow in any climate as it’s not at all fussy, but warm or hot climate versions will be rich in flavour and mouthfeel, and display bold tropical fruit flavours on the palate. While Viognier is another example of a full-bodied white.

How Does Cool Climate Influence Wine?

Wine regions that are considered to have a cool climate for viticulture are around 12-15°C during the day throughout the growing season. We’re talking German wine regions, as well as English wine regions, the cooler, northern regions of France, south New Zealand and parts of the USA.

Cool Climate Wine Styles

Body = Low to medium
Cool climate wines tend to be clean, crisp and light because the grapes have lower sugar levels, yet higher acidity, than their warm climate cousins. This is down to the lower temperatures and lack of sunshine meaning grapes can’t produce much natural sugar throughout the growing season.

Alcohol = Low to medium
Wines crafted in a cooler climate are lower in alcohol content. This is simply because there is less sugar in the grapes to convert into alcohol during the fermentation process.

Acidity = Medium to high
Due to grapes ripening very slowly throughout a cool climate growing season, sugar levels in the fruit never get very high, but plenty of malic acid is absorbed into the grape vine.

Mouthfeel = Crisp
A light, acidic body and zesty citrus flavours create a clean and refreshing texture.

Tannins = Low to medium
Cooler weather means that grapes don’t grow very thick skins. As skins and pips are what lead to tannins in wine, thin-skinned grapes create wines with much lighter tannins. (Again, is only really affects red wine.)

Appearance = Lighter, more transparent colours
This is another result of thin grape skins. Wine gets all of its colour from grape skins, so if these are thin, then the colour of the wine produced not only tends to be lighter in shade, but the colour isn’t very dense either (hold a glass of German Pinot Noir against a white surface or window and you’ll see that lots of light comes through the wine).

Cool Climate Wine Flavours

Aromas = Fragrant and delicate
On the nose, cool climate whites display elegant, floral notes such as violet and rose, while red wines tend to express red fruit aromas, and occasionally tobacco if it’s been aged.

Fruity flavours = Fresh, tart and zesty
White wines are usually full of citrus flavours and sour fruits such a gooseberry and cherry.

Complex flavours = Smoky, earthy, spicy and generally more savoury
Cool climate whites can offer sophisticated nuances of minerality, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper, while cool climate reds can present flavours of mushroom, pepper, and even leather or toast if it’s been aged in French oak.

Cool Climate Grape Varieties

Red grapes = Pinot Noir, Gamay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
These red grapes tend to thrive in France and Germany, as well as Australia’s coldest wine region, Tasmania. You’ll find savoury notes like mushroom and pepper that are key indications of a cool climate provenance.

White grapes = Bacchus, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
Cool climate Chardonnays will be light and zesty vs their warm climate equivalents, while English Bacchus, French Sauvignon Blanc and German Riesling offer typically cool climate nuances like grass, minerality, elderflower and blossom.

So, now you know how and why wines from around the world differ in flavour and style due to the climate in which they were produced.

But to save you from needing to read an entire blog every time you want to look something up, we’ve created a handy infographic for you below that gives a top line overview of the flavours and characteristics you can expect from cool and warm climate wines.