REACHING FOR THE SKIES
Have you ever tasted a wine and found it had extra freshness, more concentrated fruit flavours and a distinct minerality…the answer maybe in the altitude of the vineyard.
In Burgundy, winemakers discovered centuries ago that grapes grown on the hillsides made wine with more elegance and freshness than those from the valley floors, hence the world-famous Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards.
Grapes grown in hot regions ripen faster than those from cooler places, developing more sugar which in turn means more alcohol.
In contrast, the higher you go the more a wine can change, for every 100 metres climbed, the temperature drops 0.5 degrees. Cooler conditions slow down the ripening process, allowing grapes to develop complex aromas while retaining acidity, lower sugar and alcohol levels. This often results in wines that taste fresher and more vibrant.
High-altitude vineyards commonly experience hot days with stronger UV light and very cool nights. These large temperature swings help grapes accumulate sugars during the day while preserving acidity overnight. The result is a balance that winemakers value greatly. Because of the UV light grape skins become thicker creating a wine with deeper colour, stronger tannin, concentrated flavours and more aging potential.qeded
The country most associated with high altitude wines is Argentina. In most Old-World wine regions, 600 metres to 800m above sea level is considered high. In Argentina, altitude is measured on a completely different scale. A large proportion of the country’s vines are now grown above 1,000m in such regions as the Ugo Valley in Mendoza.
In Europe, over the last few decades growers have been planting or reclaiming vineyards in higher locations, such as Priorat, Ribera del Duero and Bierzo in Spain. The slopes of the Douro Valley in Portugal, Mount Etna in Italy and Côte Rôtie in the Northern Rhône Valley have been producing high altitude wines for centuries.
For wine lovers, exploring bottles from these elevated landscapes offers a chance to taste how altitude shapes flavour—proof that sometimes the best wines come from vineyards that are quite literally reaching for the sky.
