Romanian red grapes varieties

Feteasca Neagra or Black Maiden and Black Fairy is the jewel of Romanian indigenous grape varieties that has a millennial history. Seeds of Feteasca Neagra were discovered in ancient vestiges from Romania, more than 2000 years old.

For the Romanians, Feteasca Neagra wine is similar to a sophisticated, hard to tame, seductive and mysterious fairy, imposing through her presence, complexity and acidity, all very well balanced like an irresistible woman.

The grape is very versatile, they can gets from 200 to 240 grams of sugar per liter, if is late harvested can gets 270 grams. The acidity can be more than 7 g/ l in tartaric acid for crops up to 7-8 tonnes/ ha.

It is possible to obtain special rose and red wines.

The maximum potential is reached after the maturation in oak barrels followed by the aging in the bottle, resulting high quality wines with a strong typicality.

Depending of the wine-making techniques the the wines get various flavors and fine tannins, good acidity, medium to full body and often more than 13,5% alcohol.

It is typical to have aromas of dried plums, blackberries, and black blueberries along with nice black pepper, vanilla and coffee flavors, and for the old wines toast and skin senses.

Negru de Dragasani or Black of Dragasani is a recent red grape variety obtained after the mixing of two ancient grapes: the forgotten Negru Vartos or Stout Black and gerogian grape Saperavi.

It is planted in a limited area in Dragasani, in the south of Romania.

At full maturity the grapes accumulate an average of 233-234 g/ l of sugar and 4.5 g/ l of acidity (H2SO4). High content in anthocyanins.

It has potential to give high quality dry wines, fresh and fruity, suitable for aging in oak barrels that increases the complexity.

The wine has good body and intense taste, in the aromatic palette we can find aromas of black cherries, sour cherries, blackberries and spices.

The astringency and the acidity are medium, the alcohol level is at least 12.5%.

Babeasca Neagra is an ancient grape variety whose history is lost in the dacian period, more than 2000 years ago. The name suggests the old superstitions and remedies, from immemorial times. At the beginning of 17’Th century the red wine of Nicoresti area (east part of Romania, considered the birthplace of this grape) from Babeasca Neagra variety, was praised by Richelieu, the French cardinal.

The wine is light and acid, it’s suitable also for sparkling or to be drunk in the firs year after harvest. The wine from Babeasca Neagra should be drunk in his “young” period in order to enjoy the fresh taste of the grapes completed with a medium plus acidity which complement the intense and fresh taste which is not so common for a red wine.

It gets in average 180 grams/ liter of sugar and can go up to 230 grams/ liter when it is late harvested.

Usually the wine has a ruby color, intense fruity flavors and light to medium body, high acidity and a tonic sense for the aftertaste.

It is common to have aromas of red fruits like sour cherries and plums, completed by flowers.

Cadarca is a grape variety originating in the west part of Romania. When Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the red wine from Cadarca grapes was considered to be the best red wine in the empire and it was preferred by the emperor house.

The grapes are usually late harvested, can have between 150 and 220 grams/ liter of sugar. The wine can be drink young but the best quality is reached after 2 or 3 years of aging when it gets fines forest fruits and spices flavors.

The wine-making style from Minis area (village in the west part of Romania) assume the fermentation of the fresh wine together with over maturated dried grape berries (raisins) in order to obtain the wine’s best complexity of body and taste.

The dried grapes are obtained only in the best years by removing some of the vine leaves. In October the raisins are placed on the mats. After a few days, only healthy grapes are selected and the dried ones are placed in a high tub, in a dry place, for 5-6 days, after which they are knead by hand resulting in a mild composition that is distributed in containers with good quality red wine on top. The containers are covered and the mixture is left for fermentation for 4-6 weeks, while mixing it with a wooden shovel and gathering the seeds. After the fermentation the wine is kept in 100 liter containers and it is consumed usually after 1 or 2 years and it can be aged.

Cadarca’s color is ranging from purple to dark red, because of this the locals named this wine as “bull-blood”, reputation still preserved that defines the color, personality and power. It has a particular and consistent fresh fruit aroma of red ripen fruits,  full body, velvety and can be acidic. Due to the usage of the raisins the wines produced are oxidative with favors of cloves (beside the red fruits) and slightly astringents.

Crâmpoșia is an ancient Romanian white grape variety with more than 2000 years of history that survived the filoxera plague from 19th. Currently is planted the evolved version, Crâmpoșia Selecționată, the auto-fertile grape with better properties.

The variety is planted only in Romania, mainly in the south part (Oltenia).

It produces a wide range of high quality wines, dry, medium-sweet and sweet wines, but also great sparkling wines using méthode traditionelle.

The wines are fruity and pleasant, fresh with a pleasant coolness sensation. The smell and taste is of yellow fruits (apples, pears) exotic fruits, citric, with daring mineral notes.

Crâmpoșie Selecționată wines can be used as an appetizer, during the meal and after, to keep good mood.

The grapes are harvested at full maturity when they accumulate between 190 and 215 grams of sugar per liter and a total acidity of between 5.5 and 7 g / l H2SO4.

Feteasca Alba or White Maiden or White Fairy is an indigenous grape variety representative for Romania, thousands of years old. It is planted in various areas, mainly in Transylvania, Moldavia and north of the Grater Wallachia. It is fascinating to discover the particularities of each area given by the terrain typology and the wine-making styles.

This variety, considering the semantic for the name (Feteasca = young girl, virgin, pure, unmarried, fairy) that leads to femininity and the women delicacy, highlight the cherishing that Romanians have for the wine, as for the women. In Romania we have the tendencies to personify the wine, to resemble it to the women, and Feteasca in all her varieties is one eloquent example.

The harvesting of the grapes it is done late, at full maturity and the wine has aging potential and also can be made as sparkling wine.

Usually the winemaking process is dry, we can find it fresh with green fruits temps, citric or floral, but also complex, especially after barrel maturation.

Feteasca Regala or Royal Maiden or Royal Fairy is the youngest white variety from Feteasca trio, has only 100 years and it was born from the natural crossing happened in Transylvania between Feteasca Alba (White Maiden or White Fairy) and Grasa de Cotnari (Oily of Cotnari) grape varieties.

It is called “royal” to honor the Romanian royal family which that time helped the winemaking industry to develop in Romania.

But the name dive us to the feminine delicacy and sophistication, it fits perfectly to the wine that it is preferred to be made dry and to be drunk fresh, in the first years after the making. It also have a good aging potential even if it is a light alcohol wine (9 to 11.5%). The wine flavor is mainly floral that seems like the picture of Tarnava Area (center of Transylvania) the area where Feteasca Regala was discovered, but also flavors of fruits, especially yellow Romanian apple.

Grasa de Cotnari is an ancient white grape variety, sun lover, that’s been lucky to survive until now days and to become a reference variety among Romanian indigenous grapes.

The tales were saying that the grape was planted in the center of Transylvania for more than 2000 years and has arrived in Moldavia (eastern Romania) and sowed in a limited area of Cotnari in the medieval period. Stephan the Great – king of Moldavia received from Matei Corvin – king of Hungary some seeds as a gift. The seeds supposed to be Furmint variety but Matei Corvin didn’t want to give this kind and he gave Stefan a low fertile grape variety. This variety was planted by Stefan on the sunny hills of Cotnari area and the king got fantastic qualities, becoming one of the most appreciated grape in Romania.
The main wine-making style for the Grasa wine is sweet and demi-sweet, botrytisation technique is used. They are harvested late and “threated” with the Botrys cinerea mushroom. The mold generated by the mushroom pinch the grape and raises it, the result is a light alcohol wine, sweet or demi-sweet, with exceptional body, taste and acidity.

We can find tastes like raisins, honey, apricots, well delivered after aging in the botle.

Mustoasa de Maderat or Juicy of Maderat is an ancient grape variety that survived the filoxera attack in the 19th century. It is specific for a limited area in Minis, western Transylvania, the white wine resulted is one of the most appreciated in the area.

Usually the wine is made dry, it is fresh and fruity with above average acidity that’s make it appropriate for sparkling wine also. The fruity taste leaves a chill impression, I. Pusca – a highly respected Romanian wine specialist describe the wine as being like “the fresh air of an autumn Romanian morning”.

The body is medium and the alcohol is between 9 and 11%.

Sarba is a recent grape variety obtained from ancient Romanian grape Tamaioasa Romaneasca and Italian Riesling.

It is planted in a small area in Vrancea, east of Romania. The wine is usually dry and is 100% a summer wine, refreshing, medium acid, with fine floral aromas like roses, basil, linden flowers and honey.

It is best to be drink fresh in order to be enchanted by the full palette of aromas.

Tamaioasa Romaneasca or Romanian Incense has the roots in ancient Greece but the old plantation of this variety in Romania – more than 2000 years – adapted it to our area and has survived until now days, inclusive the filoxera attack.
It appears in historical inscriptions as the wine drunk at the royals meeting or used as a trade value.

The grape is Muscat like, very aromatic that give birth usually to sweet and demi-sweet wines, the harvest being made at super-maturation of the grapes.
Tamaioasa Romaneasca has a specific wine-making technique, with long maturation of the marc that make the wine to be one of the best. Out of this variety can be obtain liqueur wines of an exceptionally quality.

The wine is suitable for aging in the bottle, process that give to the wine wild flowers aromas, linden, acacia and honey.

Busuioaca de Bohotin (Basil of Bohotin) is a variety planted in a small limited area, around Bohotin in the east side of Romania.

The uniqueness of this Romanian variety is that it gives birth to a pure rose vine. The wine-making style presume a long maceration on the violet skin of the grape, this way the wine gets the roses taste and the unique rose color.

The classical old wine-making style means to harvest the grapes after maturation or supra-maturation when they get between 250 and 270 grams of sugar/ liter. The best quality is reached at supra-maturation when the wine gets the best balance between the taste and the acidity. But the supra-maturation process presume ideal climatic conditions which is different each year, that’s why the wine from Busuioaca de Bohotin is surprising year after year.

The main taste is roses and basil (where the name comes from). The wine is mostly sweet or demi-sweet with a good level of acidity for a perfect and surprising balance.

The wine is suitable for aging, if so the color shifts to orange tint. Lately some winemakers have been using the dry wine-making style with astonishing results.