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. Whil ...

. 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 This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Grapes will sometimes ...

are categorised (somewhat loosely based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

) 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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

(for example

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

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 oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

) or

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

(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 the 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, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

and southern hemisphere.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 14-15 Dorling Kindersley 2005 While

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) 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, ran ...

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 18 °C (64.4 °F) or higher in the cool ...

s, most notably

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, 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 Viti ...

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 life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be clo ...

that occurs after

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

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 (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

which grant the vines long, warm periods during the crucial

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

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 ...

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 from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium. The melting point of a substance depends ...

of the vines can be damaged by

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

. 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) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

) 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 air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

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, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

atmospheric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as 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 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...

, sunlight as well as

diurnal temperature variations In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

—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 temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

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 tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

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 defined as 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, an ...

and may present the need for supplemental irrigation. The Mediterranean climate is most readily associated with the areas around the

Mediterranean basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...

, where viticulture and

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

first flourished on a large scale due to the influence of the

Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient thalassocracy, thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-st ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

, 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 ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

of the

ancient world Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

Wine regions with Mediterranean climates

and most other Central-Southern

Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...

regions *

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) 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 ...

Marsala Marsala (, local ; la, Lilybaeum) is an Italian town located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Gius ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Pantelleria Pantelleria (; Sicilian: ''Pantiddirìa'', Maltese: ''Pantellerija'' or ''Qawsra''), the ancient 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 Tunis ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

*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

regions *

Cyprus wine The Cypriot wine industry 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 economy through cultivation, production ...

regions *

Israeli wine Israeli wine is produced by hundreds of 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 exporte ...

regions *

Jordanian wine Jordanian wine is produced by two wineries, with an annual production of nearly a million bottles a year. Jordan has a long tradition of wine making, dating as far back as Nabatean times. Archaeological digs near Petra have uncovered at least 8 ...

regions *

Lebanese wine Lebanon is among the oldest sites of wine production in the world. The Israelite prophet Hosea (780–725 BC) is said to have urged his followers to return to God so that "they will blossom as the vine and fame be like the wine of Lebanon, ndthe ...

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 chronologica ...

regions *Most

Montenegrin wine Montenegrin wine is wine made in the Balkan country of Montenegro. Many Montenegrin vineyards are located in the southern and coastal regions of the country. Montenegrin wines are made from a wide range of grape varieties including Krstač, Cabern ...

regions *

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

* Languedoc and Roussillon *

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

*Southern Rhone Valley *

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

including

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cádiz Mountains. , the ...

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

(bordering tropical) *

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

* Jumilla, Spain *

Vinos de Madrid Vinos de Madrid is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP), located in the southern part of the region of Madrid (Spain). It covers 54 municipalities and is divided into the three sub-zones (Arganda, Navalcarnero, and San Martín), eac ...

*Most

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the 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 and were unfami ...

regions *

Primorska The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...

Slovenian wine Slovenian wine is wine from Slovenia. Viticulture and winemaking has existed in this region since the time of the Celts and Illyrians tribes, long before the Romans would introduce winemaking to the lands of France, Spain and Germany. J. Robinson ...

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 grap ...

regions (''Cfa'') *Some

Azerbaijani wine Azerbaijani wine is produced in several regions throughout Azerbaijan. Prior to 20th century communist rule, the region which makes up modern-day Azerbaijan had a thriving wine industry that dated back to the second millennium BC.J. Robinson (ed) ...

regions *

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

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. I ...

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 Umpqua ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

wine regions *

Western Australian Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

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&ndas ...

regions *

Chilean Central Valley The Central Valley ( es, Valle Central), 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 s ...

*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 gouverner Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Produc ...

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 and Iran are located, played a pivotal role in the early history of wine and is likely to have been one of the earl ...

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 The Marmara Region ( Turkish: ''Marmara Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey. Located in northwestern Turkey, it is bordered by Greece and the Aegean Sea to the west, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the north, the Black Sea Region to the ...

(bordering maritime) **

Mediterranean Region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

Thracian Lowlands The Upper Thracian Plain ( bg, Горнотракийска низина, ''Gornotrakiyska nizina'') constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Thrace. It is located in southern Bulgaria, between Sredna Gora mountains to the north ...

, 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 be ...

region (''Cfa'') *Upper Struma Valley, Southwestern

region (''Cfa'') *

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

(bordering maritime) *

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

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. Just 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 inter ...

regions (irrigated by the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

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 viney ...

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 present-day Iran.Entry on ''"Persia"'' in J. Robinson (ed), ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 512-513, ...

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

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 summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...

. Regions with this type of climate are often found inland on

continents A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

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 and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...

) that can moderate their temperatures. Often during the growing season continental climates will have wide

, with very warm temperatures during the day that drop drastically at night. During the winter and early spring months,

and

hail Hail is a form of solid 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 hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...

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 Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

variation that is often typical of continental climates such as

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) 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. The c ...

. 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 , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) that have areas that exhibit a

continental Mediterranean climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

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

(maritime by US standards) * Côte-Rôtie and other Northern Rhone wine regions (maritime by US standards) *

Jura wine Jura may refer to: Places *Jura, Scotland, island of the Inner Hebrides off Great Britain *Jūra, river in Lithuania Mountain ranges * Jura Mountains, on the French–Swiss–German border *Franconian Jura, south-central Germany * Swabian Jura, ...

region (maritime by US standards) *Most of the Loire Valley (maritime by US standards) * Rioja (''Cfa/Cfb'') * Italian Piedmont and most other Northern

regions (''Cfa/Cfb'') *

Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

(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 is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

*Saxony (wine region), Saxony *Armenian wine regions *Most Austrian wine regions *Most

regions *Croatian wine#Continental Croatia, Inland Croatia *Most Czech wine regions *Most Hungarian wine regions *Kazakh wine regions *Most Macedonian wine regions *Most Moldovan wine regions *Polish wine regions *Most Romanian wine regions *Most Russian wine regions *Most Serbian wine regions *Most Slovak wine regions *Podravina, Podravje and Lower Sava Valley, Posavje, Slovenian wine, Slovenia *Inland

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) *Central Delaware Valley AVA (PA/NJ) *

(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 *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 Ozark Mountain American Viticultural Area, Ozark Mountain AVA (AR/MO/OK) *Most of Snake River Valley AVA (Idaho/Oregon) *Mainland Southeastern New England AVA (CT/MA/RI) *Texas Davis Mountains AVA *Texas High Plains AVA, Texas High Plains *Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA (IL/IA/MN/WI) *Western Connecticut Highlands AVA *Most Hokkaido wine regions *Nagano Prefecture, Japanese wine, Japan *Tendō, Yamagata *Beijing wine region *Ningxia, Wine in China, China *Xinjiang wine regions *Yantai, China *East of Cascade Range, Washington (state), Washington state, United States

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

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

*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 *Most 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

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'')

Notes

References

{{Viticulture Climate and weather classification systems Viticulture Wine terminology

Influence of climate on viticulture

Mediterranean climates

Wine regions with Mediterranean climates

Continental climates

Wine regions with continental climates

Maritime climates

Wine regions with maritime climates

See also

Notes

References