Modeling Temperature-Based Viticulture Suitability For Vineyard Locations In The Finger Lakes

Abstract

The Finger Lakes region of New York has garnered world-wide attention for its quality wines despite a climate that is barely suitable for viticulture. The complex terrain surrounding the Finger Lakes as well as the lakes themselves play a vital role in modifying the local microclimates to allow sustainable viticulture. By modeling these microclimates and quantifying the impact of the lake and terrain interactions, a vineyardscale climatology dataset is created to assist in determining suitable and unsuitable locations for future viticulture operations.