Sunshine
Plants need energy, just like animals do. That energy comes in the form of sunlight, which happens to be an abundant resource on Red Mountain. With our unusually clear skies and northerly latitude, we average more than 17 hours of sunlight a day - two more than Napa Valley.

Cold Winters
Grape vines that grow on Red Mountain are subject to bitterly cold winters. This allows the vines to go dormant, completing a natural yearly cycle that oftentimes doesn't happen in warmer climates.

Water (Or Lack Thereof)
If grape vines are allowed a large amount of water, they will concentrate growth on leaves and branches, leaving puny grapes for harvest. On Red Mountain, we average only around five inches of rain a year. This allows grape growers to precisely control the amount of water that grapes receive via irrigation, resulting in well-ripened and robust fruit harvests.

Dirt
Red Mountain was at one time an island in an Ice-Age flood (see link in the bottom left corner). Calmer water around islands such as Red Mountain allowed fine-textured sediment and silt to settle out of suspension during the flooding. This sandy silt top layer is excellent for growing grapes because it allows for superior drainage.

Thanks to the active volcanoes in the nearby Cascade Mountains, the above-mentioned silt sits on top of a layer of fractured basalt rock. These basalt beds contribute significantly to acidity, structure, and minerality of wines made with Red Mountain grapes.

Temperature Swings
Grapes vines are very susceptible to temperature changes on a day-to-day basis. In the summer, grapes ripen until the temperature reaches about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, at which time sugar development is arrested. As the temperature increases, evaporation from the plant's leaves (called transpiration) grows at an exponential rate until the plant is unable to keep up with the loss of water. This triggers the vine to start metabolizing the acids in the grapes as a survival mechanism. Grapes grown in other areas of the world are oftentimes unable to compensate properly because the temperatures remain too high over a 24-hour cycle.

Red Mountain, on the other hand, is able to reduce the acid loss that occurs due to rapid transpiration. Our peak temperatures occur around 4 p.m. and cool off rapidly during the night, oftentimes resulting in a 40-50 degree swing between peak temperatures. As a result of this temperature swing, Red Mountain grapes are high in both sugar and acidity, an exceedingly rare and desirable trait for wine production.