I’ll start this one off vulnerable. I was ever so enthused to go researching wine region winds with fun names. This was just over a year ago. I opened a Word doc. I read up. And then, with the help of some vicious gusts, Los Angeles caught on fire. The Santa Anas were exploding very close, friends lost their homes, and I was trying to figure out where my cat and I could evacuate to if need be. Wind suddenly wasn’t such a whimsical topic. As I am not currently fearing the wind, I found it within myself to re-open my Word doc, get back on the research horse, and finish writing about wind’s effects on viticulture. Wind can be the end of things, but in the right circumstances, it is also a boon. Get ready to be blown away. (I am SO sorry that won’t happen again.) So, what does wind do? Um, like, a lot. It can be a liability, capable of tearing down vines and ravaging vineyards. If it blows too hard, leaves close up their stomata, which restricts carbon dioxide and grinds photosynthesis to a halt. But it can also be a benefit! It can carry warm or cool air from nearby bodies of water into vineyards in need of a moderating breeze. It also cleanses the air, blowing away disease and excess moisture. Wind can be so handy that some vineyards boast their very own wind machines. A few years ago, in Santa Cruz at Windy Oaks, winemaker Jim Schultz extolled the virtues of his wind machine, citing its ability to shoo away pests, kill mildew (eliminating the need for sprays), increase productivity and thicken skins, which generates more phenolics in understated grapes. That’s a lot! All of that being said, learning new names of winds is up there with learning soil types and ocean current names, so let’s breeze through some of my favorites. (Whoops, I did it again.) And now for some of my favorite winds: ANABA The Anabas are anabatic Pacific winds that grace Sonoma's Carneros and Petaluma Gap regions. These unique winds slow the grapes’ ripening process. 2022 Anaba Wines “Turbine” Red Blend 40% Mourvedre/30% Syrah/24% Grenache/6% Petite Sirah Anaba Wines was my original inspiration for this article! What a gorgeous vibe — minerals and florals, spices and intrigue. Delivering a compote of spicy red fruits (plums, pomegranates, raspberries), mother#@cking RHUBARB, sappy nettle vibes, a bit of wet potting soil, this is liquid silk on the palate with fine-grained tannins. 2022 Anaba Felix Hunter Vineyard Pinot Noir She’s a spice girl with a super spicy, even pungent nose and dark, sparkly fruit. The palate is warming, lithe and cooling all at once. Cherry compote flavors roll over the tongue like an ocean swell, so energetic but cool-toned. CAPE DOCTOR Cape Doctor possibly is my favorite wind name ever. This southeasterly breeze rolls through South Africa, where it clears the air and constantly cools Constantia (“CCC: Constantly Cools Constantia” is how I remembered Cape Doctor for the bananas tests I took for my diploma). Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2023 This is a lot! A sweet citrus nose leads to layers of grapefruit, lychee and gooseberry goodness on the palate. It’s sharper up front, but then a weightiness settles in like a fog, with lemongrass and lemony thyme on the finish. Then it takes a swerve down minerality lane. DEEEE-friggin-licious. You could toss this back, but take your time with this multi-faceted SB. MISTRAL One of the most famous winds! The mistral hurls through the Rhône into Provence, so strongly that some vines in the Rhône are trained around little stakes known as Échalas. Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau Rouge 2020 Whoaaa potent AF. Anise-y, herbal and rich but with scarcely registerable tannins, this is all about alcohol, body and velvet. Soft red plums and pebble-stones give way to fire, bottled prunes, white peppercorns and stew. Then there’s more anise, bordering on fennel. HEADY! And delicious. CERS & MARIN The Mistral fans into Languedoc, where it is joined by the Marin, a warm, gentle, southeasterly wind and…the Cers! The Cers is a rather violent northwesterly gust said to cause madness — to the point where people can use it as an excuse in the court of law and plead wind insanity! Having spent a few days in Languedoc, I can tell you that that wind howls. Fortunately, the region also screams good bargains on brilliant wines. I’m particularly fond of Faugeres, Picpoul de Pinet and St Chinian. 2021 Mas Champart Saint-Chinian Blanc This is quite an astounding wine that feels textured before you even taste it. This Chenin Blanc has an herbal nose with fleshy stone fruit. The ever-evolving palate brings in musk, lanolin and honeysuckle, concluding with wax and nettles. Gosh dang it’s good. THE LEVANTE AND THE PONIENTE These winds play a part in southern Spain, where the famed wines of Jerez (AKA Sherry) thrive. The Levante is a hot, dry wind that comes from the east. I remember this because heat rises, like leavening, so levante, get it? The Poniente is a humid wind from the west, one of ye olde Atlantic winds. Sherrys are fortified wines are made in a maddening assortment of ways: some age under a veil of flor, some are oxidized, and go figure, my bisexual favorites are those made with both techniques—the amontillados and palo cortados. Valdespino Palo Cortado Viejo CP VOS Jerez Yoooo. With vibes of yeast, oxygen and raw nuts, this feels high on life, etc. The nose gives chamomile, molten apple and toasted white bread with a layer of not-sweet demerara. Salt. Sweat. Yum. Egads. SANTA RITA HILLS Oh, um, does this wind have a name? It comes from the Pacific, but DOES IT HAVE A NAME? No matter, what matters is that the Santa Rita Hills are situated in an east-west valley that lets those cool foggy winds the heck in. The cool, the warmth at the right time—it spells out a Pinot Noir/Chard playground. 2023 The Hilt Pinot Noir Dayummm girl. The fascination of Santa Rita Hills is its angularity combined with a wee bit of luxury on the tongue — the sharpness hits first and makes you think, “Old World”? But, no, it is in fact Southern California! Something about those marine soils and the wind makes for a very unique Pinot Noir that is one of my favorites. Ever. Period. The nose is perfumed with flowers and cloves, the palate bites with tart cherry juice and pomegranate. Gosh, I love this wine. 2023 The Hilt Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay So vibrant and elegant. The nose offers citrus, a little gala apple, a bit of nectarine and a touch (a TOUCH) of cider spice. The palate is dry with that magnificent combo of prickly minerals and underlying fruit, brought into fruition by the sun. You volley between zip and sap (in a good way), salt and lemon/vanilla bean. It’s the stately energy of this wine that gets me. GOSH, this is good. I’d drink it every day. PELÈR & ORA These are important Lake Garda winds! If you’ve never been to the shores of Lake Garda, you gotta go even if you are not a wind enthusiast — it’s simply stunning. The Pelèr fans this looker of a region from the north, sliding cool air down mountains at night. It’s most prominent in summer and fall. The Ora is a warmer afternoon wind, strongest in spring and early summer. Costaripa Valtènesi Costaripa This blend of Groppello, Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera is a silver slipper of a wine with light fruit aromas of pink grapefruit and lime. The palate brings zippy acid and an earthy bite. We love a bite. We, being me, but probably you too, so we. SIROCCO This hot, dry wind zooms in on places like Sicily and the surrounding environs, including lesser-known baddies like the Aeolian Islands…realms such as Lipari. Tenuta di Castellaro Nero Ossidiana Aka black ossidian! The sexiness of the name alone floors me. The wine has verve, the wine has energy, the wine is alive, but like, politely so. It’s a mash-up of Corinta Nero and Nero d’Avola. The nose is spicy and herbal with a bit of fruit leather — I checked the tech sheet after tasting and found out that some of the grapes were dried, so that checks out. The palate is lighthearted but tannic, like a comedian who can make serious subject matter funny. The finish goes on, lingering into vinegar and plum endnotes. Tenuta di Castellaro Bianco Pomice This blend of 60% Malvasia delle Lipari and 40% Carricante feels aromatic on the nose, weaving orange blossom and honeysuckle tales. The palate is fleshy with dried persimmon and melon, sluiced with brine and tangerine rind. Prickly acid and a bit of mid-palate bitterness keep it bracing atop the flesh. A heady white for people who think white wines lack the backbone of reds. ZONDA The Zonda comes in off the Pacific and blows down the Andes mountains into Argentina, warming things up and dropping humidity. Seeing as it gets pretty darn chilly down south in places like Patagonia, the wind can be a great safeguard against freezing vines. 2021 Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard Malbec Plum, smoke, blueberry and resin grace the nose. The palate grabs on and slides cordially along with more plum, raspberry and blueberry plus whiffs of baking spice, tart herbs and a little bit of a rose. Juicy as you could ever dream of. Dark, dreamy and as textured as a wise brain full of thoughts. 2022 Luca G Lot Pinot Noir With dark cherries and plums with a bit of mineral and rosewater on the nose, this Pinot has a dark but not melancholy soul. The palate is more dark cherry with a rip of salinity. There is something super earthy and a little more textured than your average Pinot. Is it the sun, is it the wind? Florals come through too. I like it a lot. Want to read more from Ellen? Check out her recent articles: Priest Ranch Plays on Pairings Every Celeb and Their Inevitable Rosé Wine Situation Final Five: Alice Tétienne You can also listen to Ellen's podcast The Wine Situation here.