Where can I grow wine grapes?

Vitis vinifera · Fruit · Perennial

Wine grapes is a great fit (80+) on 7.7 million sq mi of land in 120 countries, 31% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Yunnan, China and California, United States. Where it can't grow, it's usually too hot for quality fruit (55%) and too cool to ripen (39%).Wine grapes is a great fit (80+) on 20.0 million km² of land in 120 countries, 31% of it only with irrigation. The most well-suited land is in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Yunnan, China and California, United States. Where it can't grow, it's usually too hot for quality fruit (55%) and too cool to ripen (39%).

Great fit (80+): 7.7M sq mi20.0M km²; 14% of land
Worth a try (50–79): 3.5M sq mi9.0M km²; 6% of land
Great fit without irrigation: 5.7M sq mi14.6M km²; Rain alone is enough
Countries: 120; With great-fit land

Regions with the most suitable land

1
🇦🇷Buenos Aires, Argentina
Great fit on 118k sq mi305k km²
For example Mar del Plata (100), Bahía Blanca (100)
2
🇨🇳Yunnan, China
Great fit on 87k sq mi224k km² · worth a try on 25k sq mi65k km²
For example Kunming (100), Zhaotong (100)
3
🇺🇸California, United States
Great fit on 87k sq mi224k km² · worth a try on 11k sq mi29k km²
For example San Francisco (100), Oakland (100)
4
🇦🇺New South Wales, Australia
Great fit on 71k sq mi183k km² · worth a try on 9,200 sq mi24k km²
For example Maitland (100), Tamworth (100)
5
🇪🇹Oromiya, Ethiopia
Great fit on 66k sq mi170k km² · worth a try on 22k sq mi57k km²
For example Nazrēt (100), Bishoftu (100)
6
🇦🇺Victoria, Australia
Great fit on 64k sq mi165k km² · worth a try on 1,200 sq mi3,100 km²
For example Melbourne (100), Geelong (100)
7
🇿🇦Eastern Cape, South Africa
Great fit on 64k sq mi165k km²
For example Gqeberha (100), East London (100)
8
🇨🇳Guizhou, China
Great fit on 58k sq mi150k km² · worth a try on 6,500 sq mi17k km²
For example Weining (99), Zunyi (96)
9
🇨🇳Sichuan, China
Great fit on 58k sq mi150k km² · worth a try on 16k sq mi40k km²
For example Pingwu County (100), Pu’an (100)
10
🇦🇷Cordoba, Argentina
Great fit on 50k sq mi130k km² · worth a try on 2,300 sq mi6,000 km²
For example Córdoba (100), Río Cuarto (100)
11
🇿🇦Western Cape, South Africa
Great fit on 47k sq mi122k km² · mostly with irrigation
For example Cape Town (100), Paarl (100)
12
🇺🇸Ohio, United States
Great fit on 43k sq mi111k km²
For example Bay Village (98), Columbus (97)
13
🇿🇲North-Western, Zambia
Great fit on 42k sq mi108k km² · worth a try on 3,500 sq mi9,100 km²
For example Kasempa (95), Mufumbwe (94)
14
🇺🇸Oklahoma, United States
Great fit on 41k sq mi106k km² · worth a try on 10k sq mi27k km²
For example Mustang (92), Yukon (91)
15
🇪🇸Andalusia, Spain
Great fit on 40k sq mi103k km² · worth a try on 200 sq mi600 km²
For example Málaga (100), Marbella (100)

Regions are states and provinces, counting land within 75 km of a town. At most three per country, so the list covers the world.

By country

🇺🇸United States665k sq mi1.7M km² · 31% of its land
🇨🇳China524k sq mi1.4M km² · 24% of its land
🇦🇷Argentina380k sq mi985k km² · 63% of its land
🇿🇦South Africa284k sq mi736k km² · 86% of its land
🇮🇷Iran252k sq mi653k km² · 47% of its land
🇹🇷Turkey234k sq mi607k km² · 72% of its land
🇺🇦Ukraine228k sq mi590k km² · 95% of its land
🇦🇺Australia207k sq mi536k km² · 67% of its land
🇫🇷France204k sq mi529k km² · 90% of its land
🇪🇸Spain204k sq mi528k km² · 93% of its land

Best-suited towns

100%Ideal
Ojo de Agua
🇲🇽 México, Mexico
100%Ideal
Evaton
🇿🇦 Gauteng, South Africa
100%Ideal
Maseru
🇱🇸 Maseru District, Lesotho
100%Ideal
Marne La Vallée
🇫🇷 Île-de-France, France
100%Ideal
Melbourne
🇦🇺 Victoria, Australia
100%Ideal
Canberra
🇦🇺 Australian Capital Territory, Australia
100%Ideal
Oakland
🇺🇸 California, United States
100%Ideal
Santiago de Querétaro
🇲🇽 Querétaro, Mexico
100%Ideal
Mek'ele
🇪🇹 Tigray, Ethiopia
100%Ideal
Soweto
🇿🇦 Gauteng, South Africa
100%Ideal
Tláhuac
🇲🇽 Mexico City, Mexico
100%Ideal
Salta
🇦🇷 Argentina

The most comfortable fits among the 2,000 biggest towns, two per region. Scores assume irrigation where rain falls short; Needs irrigation marks towns that need it.

What wine grapes needs

Winkler index (Apr–Oct degree days): Ideal 2,610–3,510 °F·daysIdeal 1,450–1,950 °C·daysWon't grow below 2,160 °F·days or above 4,320 °F·daysWon't grow below 1,200 °C·days or above 2,400 °C·days
Coldest night of the year (average): Ideal at least 3°FIdeal at least -16°CWon't grow below -8°FWon't grow below -22°C
Yearly rain: Ideal 20–35 inIdeal 500–900 mmWon't grow below 9.8 in or above 63 inWon't grow below 250 mm or above 1,600 mm
Frost-free days: Ideal at least 180 daysWon't grow below 150 days

Winkler regions run from I, under 2,500 °F·days, to V, over 4,000 °F·days (degree days above 50 °F, Apr–Oct). Wet summers mean mildew pressure.Winkler regions run from I, under 1,389 °C·days, to V, over 2,222 °C·days (degree days above 10 °C, Apr–Oct). Wet summers mean mildew pressure.

Sources: Amerine & Winkler 1944, Composition and quality of musts and wines of California grapes (Hilgardia); Jones et al. 2010, Spatial analysis of climate in winegrape growing regions in the western United States (American Journal of Enology and Viticulture); Steduto, Hsiao, Fereres & Raes 2012, Crop yield response to water (FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 66).

What stops it elsewhere

Too hot for quality fruit55%
Too cool to ripen39%
Winters get too cold5%
Too wet2%

Share of the land scoring under 50, by what holds it back most.

How this map works

Every 28 km square of land is scored 0–100 against the requirements above, using 1991–2020 monthly climate averages with frost, chill and heat estimated by simulating daily weather. Each square is scored with whichever variety fits it best. “Irrigated” ignores rain shortfalls; “Rainfed” counts them. Tap any square to see everything that grows there.

Climate is only part of it: soil, slope, water and markets decide where a crop is actually farmed. Use this to shortlist places, then check them locally.