As regular readers know, I love getting acquainted with new grape varieties.So when a dear friend gave me a bottle of Romanian wine made with Fetească Neagră grapes I was doubly thrilled. I've never had a Romanian wine, and never even heard of Fetească Neagră.
I hit the books to learn more.
Romania is at the crossroads of Europe, and they've been growing grapes there for more than 6000 years. As you might expect from a place with that much wine-making and grape-growing history, wine plays an important part in the area's culture. Romanian wine production went through a major transformation in the 1990s when it was privatized following decades of communist control. Western investment poured in, because Romanian wine regions--which are at the same latitude as the vineyards of France--have enormous potential thanks to the combination of mountain and maritime influences.
Romanian wine lovers prefer white wines to red wines, but among the reds there are all kinds of varietal discoveries to be made like Roşioară, Babească, and the variety I tried--Fetească Neagră. According to the Oxford Companion to Wine, only 1300 ha of the grape are planted, and the wines produced from it are considered to be age-worthy.
Book learning is great, but when it comes to wine there's a better way to get to know a grape--so I popped the cork.
The 2005 Cramele Halewood Blue Danube was a glorious bottle that reminded me of a red wine poised between a silky Pinot Noir and a rich French Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were grown on the south-facing slopes of the Carpathian mountains in the Dealu Mare region which is known for its high-quality red wines. There were shy aromas of pure cassis and some thyme with a whisp of woodsmoke. In the flavors, I tasted cherry, cassis, and a slightly smoky aftertaste. The sparkling acidity at the core of this wine is in terrific balance with the fruit, and made it disappear all too quickly at our house along with a Sunday meal of roasted meat and vegetables. Excellent QPR for a wine that costs less than $12.
There may not be a lot of Romanian wine on your local wine shelves, but if you're curious you can find a bottle of this wine for between $10 and $12 from these retailers. And of course, you might want to ask your favorite store to get some in stock and expand their wine horizons, too. If you like it as much as I did, I'm confident this won't be the last bottle of Romanian wine you try!
