The PacNW Wine Regions’ Climatic Challenges and Benefits
yet equally important are the number of hours of sunshine that are received during the growing season. This "extra" sunshine converts all the available sugars while the vines metabolism slows with the temperature drop. This rhythm of warming and cooling of the vine means the fruit will take longer to ripen, though it also means that the natural acidity of the fruit is preserved and in turn the fresh flavors of the fruit will also be translated into wine. Consider a technique used in canning. Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) may be added to the warm compote after it has stopped boiling. The effect is that the fruit will not "brown" as quickly. Its anti-oxidative properties have been raised. The net effect is the same. The flavor compounds in the wines grown in cooler continental climates like the Pacific Northwest will not "brown" as quickly as the natural preservative acids have been maintained.
As a doubting Thomas myself, I often wondered about how we could have a cooler climate and yet more sunshine. A demonstration of this extended daylight is found in the fact that at the summer solstice, the North Pole has NO night. Find a world map that actively displays the area of the Earth in sunshine. (Here's one! go to http://www.tradezone.com and under maps, find map of the Earth and Moon under Miscellaneous Maps) In the Northern Hemisphere's summer, the PacNW receives up to 16 hours a day of sunlight; at the winter solstice, 8 hours a day. Being closer to the North Pole in the growing season means we are that much closer to having no night during that same time. Voila! More sun/growing vine!
This balance in the wines and the natural acidity also have a fantastic effect in the cellar. The slower aging of wines with good acidity will integrate all of the flavors "reductively" as opposed to "oxidatively", which in turn maintains their bright, youthful vigor and charm longer while letting the flavors develop to slow complexity. In short. they keep longer better!
CONCLUSIONS
As humans, we seek out the balance in flavors, textures, temperatures, sound and sight. Dimension and proportion are at the foundation of our aesthetics. In food we like the interplay of sweet and sour, of hot and sweet. Wines grown in the Pacific Northwest's climate have the singular ability to retain the acid balance which make them excellent candidates for the cellar as well as
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