Romania: Geography and climate

Although there is a coastal plain on the Black Sea coast, the country is dominated by mountains, the north–south eastern Carpathians and the east–west Transylvanian Alps, whose average elevation is c.1,000 m/3,280 ft. The Wallachian Plain stretches south to the River Danube and Bulgaria, while the Pannonian Plain lies between the hills and Hungary to the west. Romania’s wine regions are widely dispersed throughout the country, in a wide range of different conditions.

Romania lies on much the same latitudinal span as France, although its climate is much more continental yet the Black Sea influence helps to moderate winter temperatures in Dobrogea by the coast. Temperatures are high but rarely excessive in the growing season, and rainfall during the harvest is unusual in most wine regions. Average July temperature is 23.5 °C/74 °F and average annual rainfall is 540 mm/21 in.