Wine Tasting - Cool Climate Wines

When you think of wine tasting tours, you tend to think of glorious valleys that are bathed in glorious sunlight all year round, but in recent years cool climate wines have become very popular, and there are now tours and festivals all geared towards celebrating a less temperate form of grape. For those who consider themselves to be amateur wine connoisseurs, the first sip of a cool climate wine may come as something of a surprise. Cool climate wines tend to be high in acid and lower in alcohol, and oftentimes sugar has to be added to give the alcohol content a little kick. The flavor has a more herbaceous, earthy tone that comes through the fruitiness, and it's often that combination that make them a little less appealing to lovers of warm climate wines.

The flavor must be starting to catch on, because there are now a number of great tours that wine lovers can take, and a good number of those are in areas that most would not consider being in a "cool climate." The Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California have long been must see destinations for wine lovers, and at the southern end of both of those is an area called Carneros, which has grown something of a reputation for cool climate wines. Russian River, Santa Barbara County, and El Dorado County are other areas that are building the same reputation, but it's not all temperature that makes the grapes perfect for cold climate wines. Soil, topography, and the strange weather formations in that area all contribute to the finished grape.

The Yarra Valley in Australia is another location that is gaining ground as a cool climate wine tasting destination, and its proximity to Melbourne makes it a perfect spot for tourists and locals looking to escape the fast pace of the city for a day. While hopping in the car and taking a drive to the valley can be great, there are actually a number of different, more rewarding, ways to take in the beauty of Yarra Valley. Visitors can hop on a train from Melbourne, or if they are feeling a little more adventurous, take a hot air balloon over the entire area.

An alternative for escape such as that may in fact be a fitting way to go for wine lovers who have yet to experience cool climate wines. The likelihood is that it will be a very different experience as far as tasting goes, and what better way to herald in a new type of wine than with a new way to get there?