What the Sun leaves Behind
What The Sun Leaves Behind
Which way do the vines face — and why does it matter to the wine we taste?
We’ve reached the final piece of our Wine Diary mini-series! 😊
In EP.1, we explored how climate, altitude and day-to-night temperature differences influence wine.
In EP.2, we followed water from oceans and rainfall to the reserves hidden deep beneath vineyard soils.
But here’s another question.
Imagine two vineyards sitting close together. Same climate, same vintage, almost the same rainfall.
Why might their grapes still ripen differently?
One part of the answer is right in front of us every day.
The sun. ☀️
And the interesting question isn’t simply “How much sunshine?”
It’s “How does the vineyard receive it?”
Not all vineyards face the sun in the same way
A vineyard isn’t a perfectly flat sheet of paper.
Some vines grow on hillsides, others on flatter ground. Some catch the morning sun, while others receive more afternoon sunshine when the air is already warmer.
This brings us to three useful terms:
Slope: How steep is the vineyard?
Aspect: Which direction does the slope face?
Exposure: How open is the vineyard to sunlight, wind and its surrounding environment?
Together, these factors influence the microclimate around the vines.
Different patterns of sunlight and warmth can mean different growing and ripening conditions.
Sounds rather theoretical, doesn’t it? 😄
For me, these terms became much more meaningful during a tasting of wines from the Vauthier family, the family behind Château Ausone in Saint-Émilion.
One family, different vineyards
What made this tasting particularly interesting was the opportunity to explore several wines from the same family.
They share a connection through the people and philosophy behind them, and their vineyards are all in Saint-Émilion.
Yet moving from one glass to another, each wine had its own story to tell.
When we looked more closely at where the grapes came from, the picture started to come together.
Château Ausone has vineyards on both the limestone plateau and the hillside, with an east-southeast orientation that brings morning sunlight.
Château Moulin Saint-Georges, situated opposite Ausone, occupies another limestone hillside, with a different orientation towards the afternoon sun.
Château La Clotte is another fascinating example, with its small terraced vineyard on a predominantly south-facing limestone slope.
Different positions. Different relationships with sunlight, warmth and the surrounding landscape.
Suddenly, the direction of the sun was no longer just something I looked at on a map.
Morning sunshine arrives when the air is generally cooler. Afternoon sunshine can arrive after hours of accumulated warmth.
And depending on the slope, aspect and local conditions, vines may experience these differences throughout the growing season.
From the glass, back to the vineyard
As we continued tasting, I found myself asking different questions.
Not simply, “Which wine do I prefer?”
But:
Why does the fruit feel different?
Why does one wine have a different structure?
Why might one feel fresher and more tightly structured, while another seems broader or riper?
And then, instead of stopping at the tasting notes, we started working backwards.
From the glass, back to the vineyard.
Of course, there’s something important to remember.
We can’t taste a wine and confidently declare:
“Ah! This must come from a west-facing slope!” 😄
I certainly can’t!
Because vineyard aspect is only one part of the story.
Soil, grape varieties, vine age, vintage conditions, vineyard management, harvest timing and winemaking all contribute to what we eventually taste.
But that tasting helped me understand something more clearly.
Terroir doesn’t suddenly change only when we cross a boundary on a map.
Sometimes, walking to the other side of a hill, changing elevation, encountering a different soil or facing another direction is enough to change the growing conditions experienced by the vines.
And that can become part of the wine’s character.
When water meets sunlight
Here’s where EP.2 and EP.3 begin to connect.
The direction a vineyard faces can also influence how quickly leaves and grape bunches dry after rainfall.
Sunlight, wind, humidity and the shape of the landscape all interact.
Nature doesn’t work in separate chapters the way we explain it in articles. 😉
Together, these conditions influence how quickly grapes ripen, how well they retain acidity and, in red grapes, how their skins, seeds and tannins develop.
This last part is often discussed as phenolic ripeness.
But does more sunshine automatically mean better wine?
Not necessarily.
In a cooler region, additional warmth may help grapes reach full ripeness.
In an already hot environment, excessive heat and direct sunlight may accelerate ripening, reduce acidity or increase the risk of sunburn.
Just like water in EP.2, the question isn’t simply about having more or less.
It’s about finding the right conditions for the vines growing in that particular place.
Three pieces of the puzzle
Now we have all three pieces of our mini-series:
🌡️ Air and temperature: Is the vineyard cool or warm? How much do temperatures change between day and night?
💧 Water: When does it arrive? Where is it stored? When can the vines use it?
☀️ Sunlight: How do the vines receive sunlight and warmth throughout the growing season?
And here’s where things become really interesting.
These aren’t just facts to remember about vineyards.
They’re clues we can begin looking for in our glasses.
Next time, try tasting ripeness
Start with something simple.
Does the fruit seem fresh or ripe?
Is the acidity still noticeable?
If you’re tasting red wine, do the tannins feel green and firm, or more mature and supple?
Then ask yourself:
“What might these grapes have experienced to ripen this way?”
You might not be able to identify which direction the vineyard faces.
And that’s perfectly fine. Neither can I, just from tasting a glass! 😂
The goal isn’t to guess the compass direction of a vineyard.
It’s to begin recognising the clues that nature, together with the work of the winemaker, may leave in our wine.
Remember the question we started with in EP.1?
Why do some wines taste fresh and vibrant, with higher acidity, while others show riper fruit, fuller body and higher alcohol?
I hope these three episodes have given you a new way to explore that question.
Not by memorising more wine vocabulary, but by connecting what we taste to what happens in the vineyard.
From the air, to the water, to the sunlight.
And finally, back to the glass in our hands. 🍷
Now I’m curious about you.
Of these three elements — air, water or sunlight — which has changed the way you think about wine the most?
And next time someone asks, “Can you really taste terroir?”
Perhaps the most interesting answer is to open a bottle, taste together and start asking questions.
After all, that’s where the discovery begins. 😊
Wine Diary by BW
Uncork & Unlock the World of French Wine
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