We have talked much about the difficult growing conditions that existed during the 2010 and 2011 vintages for the wine grape growing appellations in the Western U.S., from cooler than normal overall growing seasons to sudden heat spikes late in the year, to rain leading into harvest and sudden freezes.

The list of problems created by these less than ideal growing conditions can be quite long, so it begs the question what are the best conditions for wine grapes during the growing season?

While the best conditions can vary greatly based on varietal, appellation and the goals of the winemaker there are some general standards that farmers and winemakers shoot for as the crop develops over the year.

Wine grapes are generally grown in areas that are known for a handful of climatic conditions and ranges.

Typically areas with little or no rainfall from late spring through mid-fall are some of the best regions to plant and grow grapes. Lack of rain prevents most forms of mold and rot forming on the grape bunches during the heart of the growing season. So too the lack of rain after bud break and flowering of the vines prevents "shatter" from occurring. "Shatter" is where the tender leaves and flowers that ultimately lead to the grape bunches are broken apart and knocked off the vines by hard rain, resulting in lower or even no yields.

Also important is not having a hard frost or freeze once the vines have flowered and the buds have opened. While there are ways to mitigate temperature drops in the vineyard during very cold nights, deep freezes can completely wipe out the yield for the year.

Gentle breezes to moderate winds throughout the summer season and into fall harvest are also desirable. The breezes or winds provide for ventilation around and through the grape bunches preventing disease by keeping the grapes dry in foggy areas or where some rain still falls during the growing season.

Well draining soil is also sought after as it keeps the root stock and the rest of the plant healthy and forces it to work a little harder to stay hydrated. Making the plant work helps develop complexity and flavors in the wine grapes that lead to better wine. An old grape grower's line goes something like this, "Flowers and vegetables prefer to be pampered but wine grapes preferred to be tortured," referring to drastically limiting or completely eliminating irrigation.

Perhaps the most important condition for developing the best flavors in wine grapes is temperature variance between day and night. This change of anywhere from 20-40 degrees between daytime highs and nighttime lows creates the perfect conditions for elevating and concentrating sugars and acids in the fruit that leads to the best character and flavor profile in wine.

Finally, while long warm summers and falls are the best for a good crop heat above 95 degrees and approaching 100 degrees is not good especially later in the year after veraison. Veraison is when red wine grapes turn from pale green to purple and begin the ripening cycle. Once this process starts extremely hot temperatures can lead to raisining of the grapes, which causes very elevated sugar levels that lead to overly alcoholic wines and may contribute a dried fruit character to the finished wine where it will taste like raisins or prunes. These undesirable traits must then be addressed by watering down the wine leading to an inferior product.

So an ideal harvest season will follow on a long dry warm summer with nighttime lows in the 50s and daytime highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. As farmers and winemakers enter September what they love to see is daytime highs in the 80s and lows in the upper 40s extending well into October at best. This provides the much desired "hang time" for the grapes that concentrate and develop complex flavors and the perfect balance of acid and sugar. If you can combine this with no rain and no deep freezing temperatures you will find the entire wine industry to be smiling from ear to ear.

Each grower, winemaker and even consumers will have different ideals based on what each is hoping to accomplish and taste in the finished product, these conditions provide the best overall chances for the crop. It also grants great flexibility to the farmers and producers to work with the controllable factors in their arsenal to produce exactly the wine they strive for.

For wine consumers like us we would love to see the weather folks deliver just this kind of season in 2012. Coming off the harvests of 2010 and 2011 here in North America that have been marked by challenging conditions and limited yields it would bode well not only for the quality of wine to expect a couple of years out, but positively impact the overall health of the wine industry.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.