Cool-Climate Wine Versus Warm-Climate Wine

Recently, I read a really interesting article from Wine Enthusiast called The Real Difference Between Cool-Climate and Warm-Climate Wine. Mother Nature plays a big role in the vineyard and that translates into the type of wine that can be made. This article explains the flavor differences between a wine made in a cool-climate versus a wine made in a warm-climate.
Wine grapes grow best in the northern and southern hemispheres between 30° – 50° latitude. So what defines a cool-climate wine? Cool climate is also a function of elevation. Vineyards perched in the mountains enjoy cooler temperatures than fruit on the valley floor. Other factors can include the amount of rainfall, humidity, and cooling or warming forces like cloud cover and wind patterns. These climatic differences contribute to the overall flavor profile of a wine.

Cool Climate Wine Attributes	Warm Climate Wine Attributes
Grapes do not ripen as quickly	Grapes ripen faster
Lower natural sugars	Accumulates more sugars, can lead to higher alcohol content
Higher acidity	Can be a struggle to maintain acidity in a wine
Tart fruits flavors like cranberry, raspberry, sour cherry and green apple are common	Darker fruit flavors often dominate like plums, blueberries, blackberries, and these wines can even exhibit chocolate notes.
Wines may be described as elegant, nuanced and fresh	Wines may struggle to taste fresh, leading to stewed, shapeless or flabby flavors

White grapes suited for cool-climates include: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewürtztraminer. Red grapes suited for cool-climates include Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. While in warm climates, Zinfandel, Grenache and Shiraz attain their full expression. Cab Sauv from cool-climate Bordeaux often shows herbal, savory and gravely mineral character with drier tannins while in Napa Valley, it loses the herbal notes, also known as pyrazines, and takes on ripe blackberry fruit with voluptuous softer tannins. Knowing this, you can surprise your friends during a wine tasting by correctly stating whether the wine you are drinking is from a cool or warm-climate and try to pinpoint the locale that your wine came from.
References:
1. Lauren Mowery, The Real Difference Between Cool-Climate and Warm-Climate Wine, Wine Enthusiast, May 1, 2018.