Climate |
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 The climate in California is as diverse as the state itself. Although California is famous for its many hours of sunshine, there are large differences between regions and subregions in temperature, rainfall, soil types and other natural features. That is why there is such a diversity in wine styles in California.California’s climate is dramatically shaped by two mountain ranges, both running roughly north-south.  The Coast Range is a series of rugged forest covered ranges, often tumbling right to the edge of the Pacific. It’s a relatively low range with few peaks over 1200 meters. The second range is the Sierra Nevada, which also parallels the coast, some 160 to 200 kilometers inland. In between the two ranges is the Central Valley, home to many of the grapes that go into the state’s value wines. Along the western side of the Coast Range, the climate is dominated by the Pacific Ocean. California has almost 2000 kilometers of Pacific coastline. Warm winters, moderately warm summers, small daily and seasonal temperature ranges, and high relative humidities are characteristic of this area.Natural air conditioningMoving inland from the ocean, the maritime influence naturally decreases. Areas that are well protected from the ocean experience a more continental type of climate with warmer summers, colder winters, greater daily and seasonal temperature ranges, and generally lower relative humidity.
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Most of the wine regions lie within a transitional zone, where conditions range between these two climatic extremes. In these areas, the natural conditions for growing grapes and making wine are almost ideal. Sunny, warm and dry days are followed by cool sea breezes and fog which roll into the valleys each evening as a natural air conditioning system. The result is a long growing season which allows the grapes to ripen slowly and evenly to produce a distinctive “fruit forward” quality that wine enthusiasts around the world have come to recognize as a hallmark of California wines.
