Spatial Variations in Weather Conditions and Wine Prices in Bordeaux

The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of weather conditions on prices of Bordeaux wines. Unlike previous studies (based on data from the main weather station in Mérignac), we use climatological variables from many local stations. Two models are compared: one where prices are related to Mérignac weather conditions, and one where prices are related to local conditions (weather variables measured in the station the nearest to the château). Although a (non-nested) test suggests that the model based on local data is better, the two specifi cations lead to very similar results. This is reassuring news for researchers interested in the relationship between weather and prices, but who do not have access to spatial variations in climate. (JEL Classification: Q19)