Which region exemplifies continental climate?

• A. Napa Valley
• B. Bordeaux
• C. Burgundy
• D. Coonawarra

Answer: (C)

Continental climate means being inland with large temperature swings between seasons and between day and night, due to limited moderating influence from large bodies of water. This gives hot summers for full ripening, cold winters, and often a noticeable diurnal range that helps maintain acidity in the wines.

Burgundy sits inland in eastern France, far from the Atlantic, so it experiences a clearly continental pattern: warm to hot summers to ripen Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but cool nights and cold winters that create strong seasonal variation. This is less true of the other regions listed—Napa Valley benefits from Pacific ocean influence and fog, Bordeaux has a maritime climate, and Coonawarra has a semi-arid interior climate—so Burgundy best exemplifies continental climate.