Editing Viticulture (section)

====Climate====
{{Further|Effects of climate change on wine production}}
Climate is the most significant external factor in determining a grape's inherent qualities.<ref name=Fraga2016/> Each grape variety has a uniquely preferred environment for ideal growing. Because climates vary from region to region, selecting the best strain is an important decision in grape cultivation. Additionally, because climatic factors such as temperature and rain can be unpredictable and uncontrollable, each year will produce unique qualities and yields of grapes. Wine grapes are also especially susceptible to climate change and temperature variation.

Grape vines need approximately 1300–1500 hours of sunshine during the [[growing season]] and around {{convert|690|mm|in}} of [[rain]]fall throughout the year in order to produce grapes suitable for winemaking. In ideal circumstances, the vine will receive most of the rainfall during the winter and spring months: rain at [[harvest]]time can create many hazards, such as [[fungus|fungal]] diseases and berry splitting. The optimum [[weather]] during the growing season is a long, warm summer that allows the grapes the opportunity to ripen fully and to develop a balance between the levels of [[acid]]s and [[sugar]]s in the grape.<ref name="Sotheby pp 14–15">{{cite book |first=T. |last=Stevenson |title=The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053 |url-access=limited |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newsothebyswinee00stev_053/page/n11 14]–15 |year=2005 |isbn=0-7566-1324-8}}</ref>
Hot and sunny climates have a frost-free growing season of 200 days or more.<ref name="Vine 1997 26">{{cite book |last=Vine |first=Richard |title=Winemaking: From Grape Growing to Marketplace. |year=1997 |publisher=Chapman & Hall |location=New York |page=26 |isbn=9780412122217}}</ref> These climates allow grapes to ripen faster with higher sugar levels and lower acidity. Cooler climates have a frost-free growing season of around 150–160 days. Cooler seasons force the grapes to ripen earlier, which produces a fresher and more acidic harvest.<ref name="Unwin 1991 42"/> In general, the average yearly temperature for most crops should average around {{convert|15|°C|°F}} in order to achieve the highest quality in each grape.

'''Summer:''' Ideal temperatures in summer average around {{convert|22|°C|°F}}.<ref name="Unwin 1991 42"/> Ideal summer temperatures enable fruits to ripen. Temperature and sunshine are the most important factors in ripening.

'''Winter:''' Ideal temperatures in winter average around {{convert|3|°C|°F}}.<ref name="Unwin 1991 42"/> Ideal winter temperatures are necessary to allow grape vines to enter their resting phase.<ref name="Unwin 1991 42"/> If temperatures fall too low, the crops can be injured.

'''Spring and Fall:''' Spring and fall are critical seasons for grape development, because the plants are susceptible to frost damage, which can injure the fruiting buds.<ref name="Unwin 1991 42"/> Wet weather in spring can increase the odds of mildew formation. To prevent mildew, some farms introduce devices such as heaters or large fans in vineyards. However, such solutions can be costly.