导读，葡萄酒中的小气候犹如一个微型的AV区，Erica Stancliff在讨论这些大气条件如何影响葡萄栽培区（AV区）的作用时这样说。Stancliff既是加利福尼亚索诺玛山Trombetta Family Wines和Pfendler Vineyards的酿酒师，同时也是Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance的一员，她将小气候定义为“与周围地区具有独特气候差异的一小部分地区”。小气候可能只影响几英亩，也可能跨越几平方英里。影响小气候的环境因素包括与水体接近程度、土壤类型、地理特征、海拔和海拔高度，以及温度和湿度。在一个葡萄园内，这些特征都有所不同。“这不仅是酿酒师关于成熟度收获决定的重要考虑因素，而且这也是使一些小型酿酒区和葡萄园如此独特的原因，”Stancliff表示。
Matt Dils, a winemaker in Santa Barbara, California, has a profound understanding of how small climate variations affect different areas within his AVA. Just like in Sonoma County, he says the biggest determining factor is the distance from the ocean. Nearby vineyards feel the cold marine air and fog. In these two AVAs, a series of hills, valleys, and plateaus make the microclimate even more subtle; all of which determine whether vineyards are exposed to marine influences or not.
For example, fog settles into valleys creating cooler microclimates. Vineyards above the fog line are exposed to more sunlight during the day with higher temperatures but experience greater diurnal temperature fluctuations due to elevation.
These details decide where certain varieties grow best. "Sta Rita Hills gets something we like to call cool-cured sun," Dils said. "It's very well-suited for planting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah." Ballard Canyon [AVA]...[has] warm days and colder nights with limestone soils mixed with sand and clay. Syrah and Bordeaux varieties thrive there.
Moving east towards Happy Canyon Valley grapevines face more extreme diurnal changes that help maintain acidity in widely planted Bordeaux varieties.
"I didn't even consider Los Alamos," Dils added commenting on many sub-appellations within broader Santa Barbara County AVA each with their unique environmental conditions.
Stancliff collaborates with several vineyards in Sonoma County where Black Muscat is one of the most widely planted varieties; it's an example study on how to break down wider AVAs into specific environmental conditions.
"In some areas such as Russian River," she said "Black Muscat matures faster than surrounding coastal regions resulting in different flavor profiles and tannin maturity."
In Petaluma Gap AVA wind plays an equally important role named after gaps along coastal mountains that funnel cool sea breezes inland "[it] defines our microclimate," Stancliff said "grapes' response forms thicker skin on berries."
Thicker skins will produce more color,tannins and flavor concentration in grapes turned into wine." For everything we do at cellar level it's important to remember that wine is defined by thousands of moments related to grape life — wind ,sunlight root depth – naturally including human intervention" Dils said." Terroir is driven by tens of thousands such moments".
