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Cool wines - what are 'cool climate wines' all about?

It is popular amongst winemakers today to distinguish ‘Cool Climate Wines’ from those produced in warmer locations.  Denmark is often referred to as a cool climate wine growing area although this designation has been questioned by some.

While there appears to be no firmly established criteria for the distinction, we note that promoters of Australia’s foremost cool climate wine competition at The Red Hill (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria) 'International Cool Climate Wine Show' identify cool climate areas in the Southern Hemisphere as those with a mean average January temperature of less than 20 degrees Celsius (Lou Johnson, 2009).  We note that this cut-off is contradicted by the entry criteria for the 2009 wine show, which states a mean average January temperature cut-off of 19 degrees Celsius.  It is not clear from the competition literature how these averages are calculated. 

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) publishes daily minimum temperatures, maximum temperatures, 9 am and 3 pm temperatures.  It also publishes monthly average minimum and maximum temperatures.  For the purpose of this article the mean January temperature has been calculated as the average of the mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures.  It is not the purpose of this article to present definitive cut-off figures for cool climate areas, but rather to compare the temperature characteristics of the cooler wine growing areas in Australia over similar periods.

According to McCandless (1996) the "cool climate" wine growing areas of the Southern Hemisphere are generally located between 35 and 45 degrees south.

Denmark lies just on the northern most boundary of this zone. Its mean average January temperature is 19.5 degrees Celsius (BOM data for the period 1951 – 2000*).  All the wine growing areas of Tasmania lie between the 35 and 45 degrees south and have mean January temperatures in the range 17 to 18 degrees Celsius. The designated cool climate areas of Victoria which include the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula are located close to 38 degrees south and have mean January temperatures very close to or slightly above those of Denmark for the equivalent historical period. On the basis of these comparisons there appears to be good justification for including Denmark as a cool climate region.

It is however worth noting that the mean annual rainfall for Denmark (998.4 mm from 1951 – 2000*) is significantly higher than the rainfall for all the other cool climate areas which have about 30% less rainfall than Denmark. 

For interest, the average January temperatures of the warmer wine growing areas in Australia are significantly higher - Margaret River, Clare and Barossa Valley are all approximately 22 degrees Celsius and the hottest viticultural location in Western Australia, the Swan Valley, is recorded at over 24 deg C. 

The cool climate varieties which thrive in Denmark include chardonnay, riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, merlot and tempranillo. Shiraz is grown with some success, depending on the temperature and rainfall conditions prevailing during the three weeks leading up to harvest.  Singlefile grapes are expected to produce a fine vintage once in every four or five years and only when the harvest is of exceptional quality will it find its way into Singlefile shiraz.
 
Denmark’s cool climate temperatures and long autumn days are conditions which mimic those of Europe’s famous wine regions, with a long growing season producing distinctive well balanced elegant wines with alcohol levels in the range 12.5% to 13.5% and desirable levels of acidity.

Singlefile Estate’s 2008 Chardonnay, made from 100% estate grown grapes, displays brilliant clarity, freshness and well balanced acidity and fruit flavours for light easy drinking.  The 2008 Reserve Chardonnay, also from 100% estate grown grapes, is more complex and subtle with delicate aromas of citrus and stone fruit combining with gentle French oak nuances. This wine is a ‘white wine for red wine drinkers’ and will cellar for 8 to 10 years. When we tested it out on one passionate wine collecter/hotelier in UK recently, he did not hesitate to comment that it was like a “heavyweight” French white wine – I think this was a serious compliment!  

Note*:
Calculated for the purposes of this publication as the average of the mean daily maximum and minimum temperature

References:
Australian Bureau of Meteorology 
International Cool Climate Wine Show
Cool climate wine regions warming up, Lou Johnson
‘Cool Climate’ Wine and Grapes pulls a global bunch

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