GEOSCIENCE CANADA SERIES Geology and Wine 12 (original) (raw)

New Zealand produces premium quali-ty wines and its wine industry is grow-ing rapidly. The winegrowing regions have growing degree-days that range from 900 in cool Central Otago and Canterbury, to more than 1600 in the warmest region in the country, Auck-land. Average growing season tempera-tures for the same regions range from approximately 14.3°C to 17.6°C. Most trophy-winning red wines are grown in areas with a climate cooler than where similar wines are grown to high stan-dard internationally. New Zealand vineyards are planted mainly on flat alluvium and aggradation gravels with slopes of less than 3°. Rapid growth is pushing new plantings onto adjacent hillsides that are underlain by greywacke, schist, and (less commonly) limestone. The expansion of the indus-try onto these different substrates will affect grape and wine characteristics and may lead to new styles of New Zealand ultra-premium wines. SOMMAIRE La Nouvelle-Zélande produit des vins de hautes qualités et son industri...