🌿 Wine belt

The wine belt is the bands of land between 30 and 50 degrees of latitude in both hemispheres where the grapevine grows best. They circle the Earth, and most of the world's wine regions lie in them. In the northern hemisphere the belt takes in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Georgia and California. In the south it covers Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There is enough warmth and light here for berries to ripen, and no extreme heat or harsh frost that kills the vine. The climate of a vineyard depends on latitude, but also on altitude, the sea and the winds. Within the belt there are different zones. Nearer the edges, around the 50th parallel, the climate is cooler and the wines fresh and acidic. Nearer the middle, around the 30th parallel, it is hotter and the wines are full and sweet. The vine can also grow outside the belt where the place suits it, for example on high ground. The idea of a belt is a handy rule of thumb. Real boundaries depend on local conditions.