Diurnal temperature variation is a
meteorological term that relates to the variation in
temperature that occurs from the highs of the
day to the cool of
nights, that is of particular importance in
viticulture.
Wine regions situated in areas of high
altitude experience the most dramatic swing in temperature variation during the course of a day. In
grapes, this variation has the effect of producing high
acid and high
sugar content as the grapes' exposure to
sunlight increases the ripening qualities while the sudden drop in temperature at night preserves the balance of natural acids in the grape.
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