The art of growing wine is known as viticulture and is balanced between the natural process and human intervention, or the balance between environmental influences and the varietal character.
The limitations on where grapevines can be grown:-
- The growing season
- Number of days of sunlight
- Angle of the sun
- Average temperature
- Rainfall
- Soil
- Drainage
Ripening of the grape is determined by the amount of time it is exposed to the sun. This process also dictates the sugar/acid balance, which makes the difference between a fair, good, and great wine. Vines flourish best between 30 and 50 degrees latitude in the northern hemisphere and between 30 and 40 degrees in the southern hemisphere. Altitude and reasonable rainfall levels play an important part in the process.