The part of the Black Sea region where the varieties that we will consider grow has a characteristic hilly relief, with the altitude being between 220 and 520 m. The climate is temperate-continental, with hot summers and cold winters. The total temperature sum for the period with average daily temperatures above 10 ºC (April-October) is about 3500 ºC. The average daily temperature of the warmest month is 22.0 ºC. The average annual amount of precipitation is 600 mm. The soil types are; dark gray forest soils uneroded or slightly eroded heavy sandy-clay and podzolic chernozem soils uneroded or slightly eroded, medium sandy-clay.

What are these non-traditional varieties for the region and what are their characteristics.

White varieties:

Rhine Riesling - light straw with a greenish tint; aroma of apple, peach and apricot, the taste is fresh, with mineral tones, honey and forest herbs

Pinot Gris - straw color with golden hues; aroma of quince, honey, some spices, the taste is balanced, with shades of apples and pears;

Viognier – light golden color with greenish shades; floral aroma, with accents of jasmine and peach, the taste repeats the aroma with citrus notes;

Fetja Alba - amber-golden color with slight greenish shades; aromas of gooseberry, fig, white peach, wax and flowers, the taste is persistent and dense;

Chenin blanc – amber-golden color with greenish shades; aroma of dried fruits, herbs, resin, orange peel, tea and spices, flowing into the taste;

Rusan – lemon-yellow; the aroma is fruity with notes of apple, citrus and herbal tea, the taste is balanced, fresh and mineral;

Colombar – pale yellow to golden color; fruity aromas with accents of apple, apricot and orange, the taste is fresh, light and ends with white currant

Red varieties:

Carmenere – rich, ruby-red color; aroma of blueberry, black pepper and red pepper, the taste is dense, balanced and with velvety tannins;

Fifth verdot – ruby red color; floral tones, spices and smoke can be felt in the aroma, the taste is soft tannins, earthy tones and slightly smoky;

Malbec - dark red to purple color; complex aroma with accents of violet, cherry, plums and chocolate, the taste has fine tannins and a velvety texture;

Grenache – deep ruby color; aromas of ripe fruit and sweet spices, the palate is rounded and intense, with highlights of strawberry, blackberry and plum and notes of leather, spice and vanilla;

Of course, every connoisseur of good and quality wine will discover other things in the aftertaste when tasting from a different producer.

The "Sea and Wine" project aims to raise awareness about the benefits of PDO and PGI registration, thereby increasing the competitiveness of wines from the Black Sea region.