A cool climate is defined as regions with GST at or below what value?

A cool climate is defined as regions with GST at or below what value?

• A. 18.0°C
• B. 15.0°C
• C. 16.5°C
• D. 19.0°C

Answer: (C)

Growing Season Temperature (GST) is the average temperature during the grape-growing period and is used to classify wine-growing climates. A cool climate is defined as GST at or below 16.5°C. This boundary marks where the growing season is cool enough to slow grape ripening, preserve high acidity, and generally yield lighter-bodied wines with more delicate aromatics. Warmer GST values move into moderate or warm classifications, leading to faster ripening and lower acidity. While 15.0°C is also cool, the standard cutoff used to define the cool category is 16.5°C.

Growing Season Temperature (GST) is the average temperature during the grape-growing period and is used to classify wine-growing climates. A cool climate is defined as GST at or below 16.5°C. This boundary marks where the growing season is cool enough to slow grape ripening, preserve high acidity, and generally yield lighter-bodied wines with more delicate aromatics. Warmer GST values move into moderate or warm classifications, leading to faster ripening and lower acidity. While 15.0°C is also cool, the standard cutoff used to define the cool category is 16.5°C.