Continentality (wine)
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In viticulture, the climates of wine regions are categorised based on the overall characteristics of the area's climate during the
growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whi ...
. While variations in
macroclimate In viticulture, there are several levels of regional climates that are used to describe the ''terroir'' or immutable characteristics of an area. These levels can be as broad as a macroclimate which includes entire wine regions or as small as a mic ...
are acknowledged, the climates of most
wine regions Wines are produced in significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes berries mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degrees of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, typically in regions of Mediterranean ...
are categorised (somewhat loosely based on the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
) as being part of a
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
(for example
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
),
maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...
(ex:
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
) or
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
(ex:
Columbia Valley The Columbia Valley is the name used for a region in the Rocky Mountain Trench near the headwaters of the Columbia River between the town of Golden and Canal Flats. The main hub of the valley is the town of Invermere. Other towns include Rad ...
A. Mumma '
The Washington wine difference: it's in the vineyard
'' Wines & Vines, November 2005
). The majority of the world's premium wine production takes place in one of these three climate categories in locations between the 30th parallel and 50th parallel in both the
northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...
and southern hemisphere.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 14-15 Dorling Kindersley 2005 While
viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
does exist in some
tropical climate Tropical climate is the first of the five major climate groups in the Köppen climate classification identified with the letter A. Tropical climates are defined by a monthly average temperature of or higher in the coolest month, featuring hot te ...
s, most notably
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, the amount of quality wine production in those areas is so small that the climate effect has not been as extensively studied as other categories.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 179-195, 388, 428-434, 716-714 Oxford University Press 2006


Influence of climate on viticulture

Beyond establishing whether or not viticulture can even be sustained in an area, the climatic influences of a particular area goes a long way in influencing the type of
grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimportant to agriculture, see ''V ...
grown in a region and the type of viticultural practices that will be used. The presence of adequate sun, heat and water are all vital to the healthy growth and development of grapevines during the growing season. Additionally, continuing research has shed more light on the influence of
dormancy Dormancy is a period in an organism's Biological life cycle, life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolism, metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserv ...
that occurs after
harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
when the grapevine essentially shuts down and reserves its energy for the beginning of the next year's growing cycle. In general, grapevines thrive in
temperate climates In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...
which grant the vines long, warm periods during the crucial
flowering Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
,
fruit set The annual growth cycle of grapevines is the process that takes place in the vineyard each year, beginning with bud break in the spring and culminating in leaf fall in autumn followed by winter dormancy. From a winemaking perspective, each step i ...
and ripening periods.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pg 20-21 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 The physiological processes of a lot of grapevines begin when temperatures reach around . Below this temperature, the vines are usually in a period of dormancy. Drastically below this temperature, such as the
freezing point The melting point (or, rarely, liquefaction point) of a substance is the temperature at which it changes state of matter, state from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase (matter), phase exist in Thermodynamic equilib ...
of the vines can be damaged by
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
. When the average daily temperature is between the vine will begin flowering. When temperatures rise up to many of the vine's physiological processes are in full stride as grape clusters begin to ripen on the vine. One of the characteristics that differentiates the various climate categories from one another is the occurrence and length of time that these optimal temperatures appear during the growing season.K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 12-21 Workman Publishing 2001 In addition to temperature, the amount of rainfall (and the need for supplemental
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
) is another defining characteristics. On average, a grapevine needs around of water for sustenance during the growing season, not all of which may be provided by natural rain fall. In Mediterranean and many continental climates, the climate during the growing season may be quite dry and require additional irrigation. In contrast, maritime climates often suffer the opposite extreme of having too much rainfall during the growing season which poses its own viticultural hazards. Other climate factors such as
wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...
,
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
,
atmospheric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013. ...
, sunlight as well as diurnal temperature variations—which can define different climate categories—can also have pronounced influences on the viticulture of an area.


Mediterranean climates

Wine regions with
Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
s are characterised by their long growing seasons of moderate to warm temperatures. Throughout the year there is little
seasonal A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
change, with temperatures in the winter generally warmer than those of maritime and continental climates. During the grapevine growing season, there is very little rainfall (with most precipitation occurring in the winter months) which increases the risk of the viticultural hazard of
drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
and may present the need for supplemental irrigation. The Mediterranean climate is most readily associated with the areas around the Mediterranean basin, where viticulture and
winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...
first flourished on a large scale due to the influence of the
Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...
,
Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
, and
Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
of the
ancient world Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient h ...
.


Wine regions with Mediterranean climates

*
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
and most other Central-Southern
Italian wine Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the List of wine-producing regions#Countries, world's ...
regions *
Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
*
Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...
,
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
*
Pantelleria Pantelleria (; ), known in ancient times as Cossyra or Cossura, is an Italian island and comune in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Sicily and east of the Tunisian coast. On clear days Tunisia is visible from the ...
*
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
*Most
Greek wine Greece is one of the oldest wine- producing regions in the world and among the first wine-producing territories in Europe. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal ...
regions *
Cyprus wine The Cypriot wine industry List of wine-producing countries, ranks 50th in the world in terms of total production quantity (10,302 tonnes), and much higher on a per-capita basis. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Cypriot econom ...
regions *
Israeli wine Israeli wine is produced by hundreds of Winery, wineries, ranging in size from small boutique enterprises to large companies producing over ten million bottles per year. Wine has been produced in the Land of Israel since biblical times. Wine was ...
regions * Jordanian wine regions *
Lebanese wine Lebanon has a 5,000-year winemaking history and is one of the oldest wine production regions in the world. The prophet Hosea (780–725 BC) is said to have urged his followers to return to God so that "they shall blossom like the vine; their fame ...
regions * Palestinian wine regions *Most
Albanian wine Albanian wine () is produced in several regions throughout Albania within the Mediterranean Basin. The country has one of the oldest wine making traditions, dating back at least 3000 years ago to the Bronze Age Illyrians. It belongs chronologi ...
regions *Most Montenegrin wine regions *
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
* Languedoc and Roussillon *
Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
*Southern Rhone Valley *
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
*
Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
including
Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...
*
Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...
*
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
(bordering tropical) *
Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...
* Jumilla, Spain * Vinos de Madrid *Most
Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans (wine), Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer ...
regions * Primorska
Slovenian wine Slovenia has more than 28,000 wineries making between 80 and 90 million litres annually from the country's 22,300 hectares of vineyards. About 75% of the country's production is white wine. Almost all of the wine is consumed domestically with o ...
region (''Cfa'') *Coastal
Croatian wine Croatian wine (, pl. ) has a history dating back to the Ancient Greek settlers, and their wine production on the southern Dalmatian islands of Vis, Hvar and Korčula some 2,500 years ago. Like other old world wine producers, many traditional gra ...
regions (''Cfa'') *Some
Azerbaijani wine Azerbaijani wine is produced in several regions throughout Azerbaijan. Before 20th century Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, communist rule, the region which makes up modern-day Azerbaijan had produced wine since the second millennium BC.J. R ...
regions *
Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Napa County, California. The area was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on February 27, 1981, after a 1978 petition submitted by the Napa Valley Vin ...
and other coastal
California wine California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. ...
regions *
Southern Oregon AVA The Southern Oregon AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in Southern Oregon, United States. The Southern Oregon AVA was established in 2005 and was created to include the land of two smaller AVAs: the Rogue Valley AVA and the Umpq ...
*
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
wine regions *
Western Australian Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
and
South Australian wine The South Australian wine industry is responsible for more than half the production of all Australian wine. South Australia has a vast diversity in geography and climate which allows the state to be able to produce a range of grape varieties&nda ...
regions *
Chilean Central Valley The Central Valley (), Intermediate Depression, or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Coastal Range and the Andes Mountains. The Chilean Central Valley extends from the border with Peru to Puerto Montt in southern Chile, wi ...
*Western coastal
South African wine South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and governor Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Product ...
regions *Western and southern coastal
Turkish wine Turkish wine is wine made in the transcontinental Eurasian country Turkey. The Caucasus region, where Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia are located, played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earliest win ...
regions: **
Aegean Region The Aegean region () is one of the 7 Geographical regions of Turkey, geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya. Located in w ...
** Marmara Region (bordering maritime) ** Mediterranean Region * Thracian Lowlands, Southern
Bulgarian wine Grape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. There is evidence of Bulgarian winemaking since 4000 B.C. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, among the most popular alcoholic b ...
region (''Cfa'') *Upper Struma Valley, Southwestern
Bulgarian wine Grape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. There is evidence of Bulgarian winemaking since 4000 B.C. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, among the most popular alcoholic b ...
region (''Cfa'') *
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
(bordering maritime) *
Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
*
Algerian wine Algerian wine is wine cultivated and bottled in Algeria. It has played an important role in the history of wine. Algeria's viticultural history dates back to its settlement by the Phoenicians and continued under the Roman Empire. Prior to t ...
regions *
Egyptian wine Winemaking has a long tradition in Egypt dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. The modern wine industry is relatively small scale but there have been significant strides towards reviving the industry. In the late nineties the industry invited inte ...
regions (irrigated by the
Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...
system) *
Moroccan wine Among the countries of North Africa, Morocco is considered to have the best natural potential for producing quality wines, due to its high mountains and the cooling influence of the Atlantic, as these factors offset the risk of having too hot vin ...
regions *
Tunisian wine Tunisian wine has a long history dating back to the Antiquity like most Mediterranean countries with the Phoenicians and Carthage . The agronomist Mago that lived in the city of Carthage, wrote a treaty about agronomy and viticulture, from which ...
regions *
Shiraz wine Shiraz wine refers to two different wines. Historically, the name refers to the wine produced around the city of Shiraz in Iran.Entry on ''"Persia"'' in J. Robinson (ed), ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 512-513, Oxford Un ...
region, Iran (until
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, since largely grown in Australia and South Africa)


Continental climates

Wine regions with
continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
s are characterised by the very marked seasonal changes that occur throughout the growing season, with hot temperatures during the summer season and winters cold enough for periodic ice and snow. This is generally described as having a high degree of
continentality Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...
. Regions with this type of climate are often found inland on
continents A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as in the case of As ...
without a significant body of water (such as an
inland sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large in area and is either completely surrounded by dry land (landlocked), or connected to an ocean by a river, strait or " arm of ...
) that can moderate their temperatures. Often during the growing season continental climates will have wide diurnal temperature variations, with very warm temperatures during the day that drop drastically at night. During the winter and early spring months,
frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
and
hail Hail is a form of solid Precipitation (meteorology), precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailsto ...
can be viticultural hazards. Depending on the particular macroclimate of the region, irrigation may be needed to supplement seasonal rainfall. These many climatic influences contribute to the wide
vintage In winemaking, vintage is the process of picking grapes to create wine. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine ...
variation that is often typical of continental climates such as
Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
. There are more wine regions with continental climates in the northern hemisphere than there are in the southern hemisphere. This is due, in part, to small land mass size of southern hemisphere continents relative to the large oceans nearby. This difference means that the oceans exert a more direct influence on the climate of the southern hemisphere wine regions (making them maritime or possibly Mediterranean) than they would on the larger northern hemisphere continents. There are also several wine regions (such as
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
) that have areas that exhibit a
continental Mediterranean climate Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
due to their altitude or distance from the sea. These regions will have more distinct seasonal change than Mediterranean climates, but still retain some characteristics like a long growing season that is very dry during the summer.


Wine regions with continental climates

*
Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...
(maritime by US standards) * Côte-Rôtie and other Northern Rhone wine regions (maritime by US standards) *
Jura wine Jura wine is French wine produced in the Jura '' département''. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine. Jura wines are distinctive and unusual wi ...
region (maritime by US standards) *Most of the
Loire Valley The Loire Valley (, ), spanning , is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about . It is r ...
(maritime by US standards) * Rioja (''Cfa/Cfb'') * Italian Piedmont and most other Northern
Italian wine Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the List of wine-producing regions#Countries, world's ...
regions (''Cfa/Cfb'') *
Douro The Douro (, , , ; ; ) is the largest river of the Iberian Peninsula by discharge. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in the Spanish Soria Province, province of Soria, meanders briefly south, then flows generally west through the northern par ...
(Mediterranean by US standards) *
Saale-Unstrut Saale-Unstrut is a region (''Anbaugebiet'') for quality wine in Germany,Wein.de (Germa ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
*Saxony (wine region), Saxony *Armenian wine regions *Most Austrian wine regions *Most
Bulgarian wine Grape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. There is evidence of Bulgarian winemaking since 4000 B.C. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, among the most popular alcoholic b ...
regions *Croatian wine#Continental Croatia, Inland Croatia (''Cfa/Cfb'') *Most Czech wine regions *Most Hungarian wine regions *Kazakh wine regions *Most Macedonian wine regions (''Cfa'') *Most Moldovan wine regions *Polish wine regions *Most Romanian wine regions *Most Russian wine regions *Most Serbian wine regions (''Cfa/Cfb'') *Most Slovak wine regions *Podravina, Podravje and Lower Sava Valley, Posavje, Slovenian wine, Slovenia (maritime by US standards) *Inland
Turkish wine Turkish wine is wine made in the transcontinental Eurasian country Turkey. The Caucasus region, where Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia are located, played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earliest win ...
regions including Central Anatolia Region, Central Anatolia and Eastern Anatolia Region, Eastern Anatolia *Most Ukrainian wine regions *Sabile, Latvia *Most Canadian wine regions (including Okanagan Valley (wine region), Okanagan Valley, British Columbia wine, British Columbia and except western BC) *Mendoza wine, Mendoza, Argentina (subtropical) *Most of Central Delaware Valley AVA (PA/NJ) *
Columbia Valley The Columbia Valley is the name used for a region in the Rocky Mountain Trench near the headwaters of the Columbia River between the town of Golden and Canal Flats. The main hub of the valley is the town of Invermere. Other towns include Rad ...
(includes Walla Walla Valley AVA, Walla Walla Valley (''Csa'') and Yakima Valley AVA, Yakima Valley) *Most of Cumberland Valley AVA (PA/MD) *Eastern Connecticut Highlands AVA *Finger Lakes AVA, Finger Lakes, NY *Grand Valley AVA, Grand Valley, Colorado *Hudson River Region AVA, Hudson River Region *Lake Erie AVA (NY/PA/OH) *Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Michigan *Most of Lancaster Valley AVA, Pennsylvania *Lehigh Valley AVA, Pennsylvania *Missouri Rhineland *Niagara Escarpment AVA, NY *Most of Ohio River Valley AVA (IN/KY/OH/WV) *Most of the Missouri portion of Ozark Mountain American Viticultural Area, Ozark Mountain AVA *Most of Snake River Valley AVA (Idaho/Oregon) *Mainland Southeastern New England AVA (CT/MA/RI) *Texas Davis Mountains AVA *Texas High Plains AVA *Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (IL/IA/MN/WI) *Western Connecticut Highlands AVA *Most Hokkaido wine regions *Nagano Prefecture, Japanese wine, Japan *Tendō, Yamagata *Yeongcheon wine region, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea *Yeongdong County, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea *Beijing wine region *Ningxia, Wine in China, China *Xinjiang wine regions *Yantai, China *East of Cascade Range, Washington (state), Washington state, United States *Central Otago wine region, New Zealand (maritime by US standards)


Maritime climates

Wine regions with oceanic climate, maritime climates are characterised by their close proximity to large bodies of water (such as oceans, estuaries and inland seas) that moderate their temperatures. Maritime climates share many characteristics with both Mediterranean and continental climates and are often described as a "middle ground" between the two extremes.C. Fallis, editor ''The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine'' pg 20-21 Global Book Publishing 2006 Like Mediterranean climates, maritime climates have a long growing season, with water currents moderating the region's temperatures. However, Mediterranean climates are usually very dry during the growing season, and maritime climates are often subject to the viticultural hazards of excessive rain and
humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
that may promote various grape diseases, such as mold (fungus), mold and mildew. Like continental climates, maritime climates will have distinct seasonal changes, but they are usually not as drastic, with warm, rather than hot, summers and cool, rather than cold, winters. Maritime climates also exist in some wine-growing areas of highlands of subtropical and tropical latitudes, including the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States, the eastern Australian highlands and the central highlands of Mexico.


Wine regions with maritime climates

*
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
*Champagne wine region, Champagne *Irouléguy AOC, Lower Navarre *Madiran wine region, Gascony *Muscadet *Alsace wine, Alsace and Lorraine (region), Lorraine (continental by French standards) *Most German wine regions (continental by French standards) *Liechtenstein wine regions (continental by French standards) *Moselle wine, Moselle Valley including Luxembourg wine, Luxembourg (continental by French standards) *Most Swiss wine regions (continental by French standards) *Bizkaiko Txakolina, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country *Rías Baixas (DO), Rías Baixas (''Csb'') *New Zealand wine regions *Zona Sur, Southern Chile including Bío Bío River, Bío Bío Valley, Itata River, Itata Valley, and Malleco River, Malleco Valley (''Csb'') *Block Island, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard AVA, Martha's Vineyard (''Cfa''), and Nantucket (all part of Southeastern New England AVA and bordering continental) *Long Island AVA, Long Island (''Cfa'' bordering continental, primarily East End (Long Island), east end, and including the North Fork of Long Island AVA, North Fork and The Hamptons, Long Island AVA, The Hamptons) *North Fork of Roanoke AVA, North Fork of Roanoke, Virginia *Puget Sound AVA, Puget Sound (''Csb'') *Rocky Knob AVA, Virginia *Some of Shenandoah Valley AVA (VA/WV) *Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA, Upper Hiwassee Highlands (GA/NC)(mostly ''Cfa'') *Volcano Winery, Hawaii *Willamette Valley AVA, Willamette Valley (''Csb'') *Alpine Valleys, Victoria *Pyrenees_(Victoria)#Wine, Australian Pyrenees *Bowral, New South Wales *Most of Canberra District wine region *Cowra wine region, Cowra highlands, New South Wales *Fleurieu zone including Kangaroo Island and Langhorne Creek wine region, Langhorne Creek, South Australia (''Csb'') *Gippsland, Victoria *Grampians (wine), Grampians, Victoria *Granite Belt, Queensland/NSW *Heathcote wine region, Victoria *Henty (wine), Henty, Victoria *Mudgee wine region, Mudgee highlands, New South Wales *Orange wine region, Orange, New South Wales *Victorian wine#Port Phillip, Port Phillip, Victoria (includes Mornington Peninsula (wine), Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley (wine), Yarra Valley) *Tasmanian wine, Tasmania *Tumbarumba wine region, NSW (semi-arid) *Fraser Valley, British Columbia wine, British Columbia *Gulf Islands, BC *Vancouver Island wine regions including Cowichan Valley, BC *Médanos, Buenos Aires, Médanos, Buenos Aires wines, Buenos Aires Province *Río Negro Province, Argentina (semi-arid) *Tarija wine region, Bolivia *Caxias do Sul, Brazilian wine, Brazil *São Joaquim, Brazil *Eastern Cape wine-growing areas including St Francis Bay, South African wine, South Africa *KwaZulu-Natal wine, KwaZulu-Natal highlands *Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa (semi-arid) *Some highland Ethiopian wine regions *Belgian wine regions *Danish wine regions *Dutch wine regions *Wine from the United Kingdom, England and Wales *Irish wine, Southern Ireland *Some Georgian wine regions *Some Abkhazian wine regions *Some Winemaking in Crimea, Crimean wine regions including Massandra *Some Krasnodar Krai wine regions *Some Black Sea Region
Turkish wine Turkish wine is wine made in the transcontinental Eurasian country Turkey. The Caucasus region, where Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia are located, played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earliest win ...
regions *Pico IPR, Pico Island, Pico, Azores, Portugal *Da Lat, Vietnam *Chã das Caldeiras#Wines_and_Pomace_brandy, Chã das Caldeiras, Cape Verde *Areas of Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, Querétaro, and Zacatecas, central highlands of Mexican wine, Mexico *Some Kashmir wine regions *Thimphu wine region, Bhutan *Oshima Peninsula, Matsumae Peninsula, Hokkaido *West of Cascade Range, Washington (state), Washington state, United States (''Csb'')


See also

* Climate classification


Notes


References

{{Viticulture Climate and weather classification systems Viticulture Wine terminology