小气候，简直就像一个亚 AVA，Erica Stancliff 在谈到这些大气条件在葡萄栽培区 (AVA) 中的作用时这样说。Stancliff 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 的成员，他将小气候定义为“与周边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的接近程度、土壤类型、地理特征、海拔和海拔，以及温度和湿度。即使在一个葡萄园内，所有这些特征也会有所不同。
这不仅是酿酒师关于成熟度的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，“斯坦克利夫说。
Matt Dils, a winemaker in Santa Barbara, California, has a profound understanding of how small climate variations affect different regions within his AVA. Just like in Sonoma County, Dils says the biggest deciding factor is proximity to the ocean. Nearby vineyards will feel the cold ocean air and fog.
In these two AVAs, a series of hills, valleys and plateaus make the microclimate even more nuanced, with all these factors determining how much exposure to marine influence or avoidance of it for vineyards. For example, fog will settle in the valleys creating a cooler microclimate. Vineyards above the fog line are exposed to sunlight for longer periods during the day with higher temperatures but may experience more extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations due to elevation.
These details determine which varieties grow best where. "Sta Rita Hills gets our favorite thing we call cool-cured sun," Dils said. "It's very suitable for growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah." The Ballard Canyon [AVA] ... [has] warm days and colder nights on limestone soils with sand and clay. Syrah and Bordeaux varieties thrive there.
Moving east towards Happy Canyon Valley grapevines face even more extreme diurnal changes that help widely planted Bordeaux varieties maintain acidity.
"I haven't even considered Los Alamos," Dils added about more extensive Santa Barbara County AVA sub-regions each having their own unique environmental conditions.
Stancliff collaborates with several vineyards in Sonoma County where Black Muscat is one of the most widely planted varietals worldwide grapes are case studies on how broader AVAs can be broken down into specific environmental conditions.
"In some areas such as Russian River black Muscat's maturation speed will be slightly faster than surrounding coastal areas resulting in different flavor profiles and tannin maturity," she said." In Petaluma Gap due to its long growing season you'll see mature tannins develop alongside fresh acidity & deep color & ripe fruit flavors."
Wind plays an equally important role at Petaluma Gap AVA named after crevices along coastal mountains that collect cool sea breezes inland defining our microclimate,” Stancliff said." Grape skin reactions form thicker skins."
Thicker skins produce more color singletons taste concentrations in wines made from those grapes “For everything we do in our cellar what matters is remembering wine is defined by thousands upon thousands of moments related to grape life — wind sun root depth certainly human intervention,” Dils said.” Terroir is driven by tens if not hundreds of thousands such moments.”
因此，小氣候对于品種與環境適應至關重要，它們決定了哪些品種能夠在哪裡生長得最好，並最終影響著葡萄酒風味與質量。
