food-and-wine-pairing-a-sensory-experience-robert-harrington

Wine: The Impact of Geography and Climate 55
Also, these climate guidelines provide clues to the quality of varietals produced in these
areas.
It is easy to see that a wide range of wine styles can be produced based on the variety
of climate characteristics. These climate zones impact the grapes grown in each area, the
level of grape ripeness, level of acidity, and fruit flavors identified in the finished wine.
Appellations An appellation, found on the wine bottle label, refers to the location
where the grapes and other agricultural products are grown. Many appellations are sanctioned
by a government or trade association that has authority to define and regulate procedures
in order to guarantee quality and genuineness. A wine appellation may be very broad
(Washington State), moderately specific (Columbia Valley), or very specific (Horse Heaven
Hills, a specific area within the Columbia Valley designation); it may even refer to a single
vineyard. The more specific the location, the more confidence you can have in the wine’s
climate-influenced characteristics.
Until the 1970s, France was the only country with wine laws based on the geography
of the entire country. The official French system of appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) has
grown to become the model for the world. The majority of well-known French wines are
AOC wines. Over the past thirty years, the United States, Canada, Chile, Australia, New
Zealand, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, South Africa, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, and
Bulgaria have begun mapping their respective appellations.
European systems identify and regulate wine-growing regions. These regulations can
include place name (region, district, village, or single vineyard), type of grapes grown, minimum
alcohol levels, maximum yield, certain viticulture practices, and final taste. Besides
France, appellation systems are well developed in Italy (denominazione di origine controllata e
garantita [DOGC], denominazione di origine controllata [DOC], and indicazione geografica
[IGT]), Germany (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat [QmP] and Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete
[QbA]), Spain (denominación de origen calificada [DOCa], denominación de origen [DOC],
and Portugal (denominação de origem controlada [DOC]).
Programs for New World countries continue to evolve. Most wine-growing countries
have an official agency that approves and defines appellations within its political boundaries.
Australia and New Zealand are struggling with the appellation idea and whether to create
appellations by trade agreement or through government regulation. In the United States,
more than 175 appellations have been approved by the agency responsible for regulating
appellation geographic boundaries, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
(TTB).
California has seen an expanding number of American Viticultural Area (AVA) designations,
with more than ninety-two approved. California as a whole can be divided into at
least thirteen definable wine-growing regions: Mendocino County, Lake County, Sonoma
County, Napa County, Alameda County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, San Benito
County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, South Coast, Central Valley, and
the Sierra Foothills. Each of these areas may have multiple AVA appellations and subappellations.
The county that has carved out a lasting reputation for creating highly prized and
classic-styled wines is Napa. Within the Napa Valley, more than eighteen subappellations
have been created to reflect the complex geography, differing climates, and localized terroirs
of the region. The southern end of the valley (near the town of Napa) is considerably cooler
than the northern end. Further, differences in taste can occur depending on whether the
grapevines are grown on the valley floor or on mountain slopes that maximize the exposure
to sun and are above the fog line. 16
The idea of terroir is uniquely French in origin and a relatively new concept for wine
makers in the New World growing areas. It generally reflects the unique interaction of
natural factors (climate, soil, water, wind, etc.) and human skills that create definable characteristics
in a specific wine-growing location. Napa Valley’s most famous terroir is the
Rutherford Bench. Others include the Oakville Bench and the Stags Leap District. The