GEOGRAPHY

  • SUB-TOPICS Of GEOGRAPHY
    1. What is Geography?
    2. Geographic Coordinate
    3. Maps
    4. Other Geographic Notes

1) WHAT Is GEOGRAPHY?

GEOGRAPHY– Study of the Arrangement of the Natural Features of a Lands Surface or Vineyard Sight Including, Mountain, Ranges, Hills, Valleys, Rivers and Bodies of Water.

  • Geography is Made Up of Multiple Educational Disciplines. Do to the Complexity of the Subject Geography is Divided Into 5 Themes, This Was Done to Aid to Teach Geography In a More Structured Manner.
    • Location- A Particular Place or Position.
      • Absolute Location and Relative Location.
    • Place- The Physical and Human Aspects of the Location.
    • Human-Environment Interaction-
    • Movement- Primarily Refers to the Translocation of Human Beings, Their Goods, and Their Ideas From One End of the Planet to Another.
    • Region- Defined by Its Uniform Physical or Human Characteristics.
  • *Generally– The More Defined Geographical Uniqueness or Terroir of an Appellation and Vineyards the Higher Quality and Price.

“Geography is Where a Vineyard is Located, Topography is How the Vineyard Looks When You Get There.”

  • GEOGRAPHIC DISCLAIMER~ “To Understand the Wine World and Benefit From DtheV.com a Understanding of Geography is Needed and the Ability to Visualize Its Wine Regions Topography.  DtheV.com is Organized In a North to South / East to West Orientation and Intended to Be Researched as So.”

EARTH SCIENCE– The Study of the Earth and Space, Its Impact On Human Activity, the Earth’s Environment and Its Many Practical Applications. Its Four Sectors.

  • Geology: Science of the Earth
  • Meteorology: Science of the Atmosphere
  • Oceanography: Science of the Oceans
  • Astronomy: Science of the Universe

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY- One of the Two Major Fields of Geography, and is the Branch of Natural Science Which Deals With the Study of Processes and Patterns In the Natural Environment. Physical Geography Can Be Divided In to Several Branches.

  • GEOMORPHOLOGY-  Concerned With Understanding the Surface of the Earth and the Processes by Which it is Shaped, Both In the Present and the Past. Geomorphology Seeks to Understand Landform History and Dynamics.
  • HYDROLOGY- Concerned With the Amounts and Quality of Water Moving and Accumulating On the Land Surface and In the Soils and Rocks Near the Surface. Hydrology Encompasses Water In Ocean, Seas, Lakes, Rivers and Glaciers.
  • GLACIOLOGY- Concerned With Glaciers and Ice Sheets.
  • CLIMATOLOGY– Concerned With the Study of the Climate, Scientifically Defined as Weather Conditions Averaged Over a Long Period of Time.
  • METEOROLOGY- Concerned With the Study of the Atmosphere That Focuses On Weather Processes and Short Term Forecasting.
  • SOIL GEOGRAPHY- Concerned With the Distribution of Soils Across the Terrain.  This is Fundamental to Both Physical Geography and Pedology.
    • Pedology- The Study of Soils In Their Natural Environments…Pedogenesis, Soil Morphology, Soil Classification
  • COASTAL GEOGRAPHY- The Study of the Dynamic Interface Between the Ocean and the Land.
  • OCEANOGRAPHY- Concerned With the Study of the Earth’s Oceans and Seas.

2) GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATE

LATITUDE– Imaginary Lines That Bisects the Globe Vertically Through Equator. Latitude Represents the Angular Distance “North or South” of Equator Measured In Degrees 0° to 90°.

  • Latitude Has a Great Bearing On Which Varietal Grows Where. Grape Grow Between the 30° to 50° Latitude. (With a Few Exceptions…Ethiopia, India, Thailand)
  • GEOGRAPHIC– DISCLAIMER~ Latitudes Are Stated by a Countries Capital City or City of Greatest Importance to a Wine Region or a Range of Latitudes.
  • VITICULTURE– ADVANTAGE~ At Higher Latitude the Growing Season is Longer/ Amount of Sunlight Hours Per Day is Greater…In California the Growing Season Can Reach 15 Hours a Day, While In Columbia Valley the Growing Season Can Reach 17 Hours a Day.
  • When Thinking About a Regions/ Vineyard Location One Must Cross-Reference the Latitude With the Topography of the Region/ Vineyards. A Flat Vineyard at Higher Latitude Will Have Difficulty Ripening its Fruit, But a Vineyard at Higher Elevation Crossed With Beneficial Aspect, a Valley or River to Influence it Will Ripen Considerably Better.
  • The 45th. Parallel, Significant Latitude Half Way Between Equator and North Pole. This Pinot is Special In the Grape Growing World Because It Marks the Exact Point When the Sun is Highest In the Sky In the Majority of Summer Months.

“The Higher In Latitude You Go to Plant Your Vineyard the More Dependent the Grower is On Picking a Site With an Advantageous Aspect, Elevation and Topography.”

  • IMPORTANT LATITUDES/ PARALLEL LINES
    • 66.5° ‘N’ Arctic Cercle
    • 45° ‘N’  Half-Way Point
    • 25° ‘N’  Tropic of Cancer
    • 0°  Equator
    • 25° ‘S’ Tropic of Capricorn
    • 45° ‘S’ Half-Way Point
    • 66.5° ‘S’ Antarctic Cercle

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE– Earths Northern Celestial Sphere, North of Equator.

  • *Generally– Tends to be Slightly Warmer Because of Larger Land Mass.
  • Northern Band of Viticulture- Furthest Area North That Grapes Will Grow…Okanagan Valley, Ontario, Southern England, Northern Germany.
  • Although the Catch-Phrase is “30°-50°” for the Northern Limit to Grape Growing, the Real Limits Stretch a Little Further.
  • Because of the Earths Tilt, During the Summer Month the Days are Longer Which Leads to a Potentially Longer Growing Season.
  • NORTHERN LATITUDE VINEYARDS ABOVE 50th. PARALLEL
    • *Generally– Vine Grows From 30° to 50° But Vineyards Are Planted  to 52°.
    • @Latvia, LATITUDE: 52° ‘N’
    • @ Norway, LATITUDE: ° ‘N’
    • @Tayside, Scotland, LATITUDE: 52° ‘N’
    • @England, LATITUDE: 52° ‘N’
    • @Wales, LATITUDE: 52° ‘N’
  • GROWING REGIONS At +45th. PARALLEL
    • Piemonte   |   Rhone Valley
    • Bordeaux    |    Leelanau Peninsula
    • Willamette Valley   |    Columbia Valley

SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE–  Earths Southern Celestial Sphere, South of Equator.

  • *Generally– Grapes Ripen Better at Higher Latitudes Because of Longer Sunlight Hour Which Promotes Efficient Photosynthesis.
  • FURTHEST SOUTHERN LATITUDE VINEYARDS
    • *Generally– Vine Grows 30° to 40° But Vineyards Are Planted From 26°- 42°
    • @Otago, New Zealand, LATITUDE: 46° ‘S’
    • @Rio Negro, Chile, LATITUDE: 26° ‘S’

LONGITUDE–  Imaginary Lines That Bisects the Globe Horizontally Through the North and South Poles. Geographic Coordinate That Species the East or West Position of the Meridian at Greenwich, England.

  • Longitude Has No Bearing On the Varietal That Grow In Certain Regions of the World. Just Because Cabernet Sauvignon Reaches Its Full Potential In Walla Walla Doesn’t Mean That it Will Grow Well In Burgundy Which Are On the Same Latitude.  It’s All About the Topography, Soil and Climate.

“I Offer a Global Perspective On the Wine World, and the Knowledge to Communicate My Perspective to Wine Lovers.”

3) MAPS

MAPS– Diagrammatic Representation of a Desired Geographical Area Usually On a Flat Surface Showing Land, Sea, Physical Features, Cities and Roads

  • Cartographer/ Cartography- Art, Technique, or Practice of Drawing or Producing Maps.
  • RAISED RELIEF MAP- Three Dimensional Visual and Tactile Representation of a Desired Geographical Area Usually Emphasizing Terrain and Topography.
  • TOPOGRAPHIC MAP- Map Characterized by Detailed, Quantitative representation Representation of Relief Using Contour Lines.
  • WINE MAP- Map Showing Placement of Wine Growing Areas.
  • Delong Maps-  DtheV.com is Working In Partnership With Delong Wine Maps.
      • Delong Map Images Use Curiously of Delong Wine Maps.  Purchase These Maps at www.Delongwine.com
    • You Won’t Find a Better or More Complete Set of Work Wine Maps Anywhere. Our Maps Are Used by the Best Wine Educators and Found In the Finest Tasting Rooms, Wineries and Wine Shops.
    • All of Our Maps Are Made using the Latest Mapping Technology, Current Wine Laws and Regulation of Each Region, as Well as Consultation With Wine Industry Professionals.

“Wine Is One of the Only Products Where It’s Sold Geography, The Exact Location of Production Give it Its Value.”

4) OTHER GEOGRAPHIC NOTES

“NON-CONTIGUOUS”

  • Not Adjoining Along a Boundary or Consisting or Parts That Adjoin.  This is an Important Concept to Have When Defining the Geography of a Wine Region Where the Vineyard Area is Broking Up Into Multiple Not Connecting Areas.

“RIGHT BANK” vs. “LEFT BANK”

  • In Geographic Terms “Right Bank” vs.“ Left Bank” is a Way to Describe What Side of a River Something is Located.  When Using This Term it is Used When Looking Down Stream. The Most Common Use of “Right Bank” vs. “Left Bank” is When Describing the Locations and Wines of Bordeaux.

“The Current Geography and Topography Tell the Back-Story of the Land and the Origins of the Formation of the Vineyards.”

**Refer to “BIBLIOGRAPHY/ Sources” For Details On Scholarly Works Referenced.