VCA (Vineyard Climate Analysis)
The Vineyard Climate Analysis (VCA) is a page with multiple indicators and studies developed to analyze the various climatological features of a wine region, represented by a meteorological station with a minimum of 10 years of temperature and precipitation data, compiled from official sources. Our database has more than 1.200 meteorological stations.
We utilize monthly mean, maximum and minimum temperatures and precipitation data, from our list of meteorological stations, to calculate the following indicators:
- Heat Summation Index (HSI) (Amerine & Winkler) in degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit
- Proprietary Heat Index (PHI) – This indicator goes beyond the HSI (Amerine & Winkler), and employs latitude and precipitation volume data to determine with greater accuracy the heat accumulation potential for the studied wine region.
- Risk Index (RI) – The Risk Index applies the concepts of “convexity” and “dispersion”, largely employed in finance, to compute a number between 0 and 100, which represents the economic risk associated with growing wine grapes in a specific region, due to climatic factors such as early or late frosts, cold weather and excess of rain.
- Risk Adjusted Heat Index (RAHI) – The RAHI is nothing else than the Proprietary Heat Index, risk adjusted and normalized. This way a large Risk Index will have a negative impact on the heat potential of the wine region and vice-versa.
- Acidity Index (API) – The API uses a proprietary algorithm to estimate, from 0 to 100, the potential of the wine region in study to grow wine grapes with adequate acidity levels.
- Tannins Index (TPI) – The TPI uses a proprietary algorithm to estimate, from 0 to 100, the potential of the wine region in study to grow wine grapes with mature tannins.
- Correlation Tables (CT) – The correlation tables employ a proprietary algorithm, based on statistical functions such as correlation and covariance, to measure from -100% to 100%, the degree of correlation that exists between the climate of the wine region in study, with the climates of the world’s most famous wine regions (which from now on we will call “benchmark regions”) for each grape variety. Inferring, accordingly, the potential of the wine region under study for the production of each one of those varieties.