Wine Wednesdays!
We all know the tales of Vlad Dracula from the hills of Transylvania and the Carpathian mountains.... and if you go into a local wine store around Halloween, you are almost guaranteed to find the "Vampire" Cabernet Sauvignon from the Dealu Mare region of Romania (which is about 100 miles northwest of Dobrogea on the map above) and/or "Werewolf" Cabernet Sauvignon from Transylvania, Romania. These particular wines can range from "just ok" to "not too bad" depending on the vintage. They are typically on the lower end of the price scale at $8-$12/bottle. That being said.... I tried, and I did not like..... The labels are pretty darn cool though :)
Moving on to the higher quality Romanian wines.... while they do grow grapes such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon, they have many other grape varietals that are not so common to outsiders. Many winemakers choose to blend the indigenous wines with the more common wines. Over the last decade, Romanian wine has seen a big change.......for the better. Old, poor-quality vines have been swapped for higher quality vines, creating higher quality wines. Winemakers are also adopting more modern wine-making techniques, and using more sophisticated equipment. Romania has become one of the largest exporters of wine in Europe. Their largest client? Great Britain, followed by Bulgaria, Germany, and China.
The indigenous grapes of Romania include: Feteascā Regalā, Crâmposie, Feteascā Albā, Feteascā Neagrā, Cadarca, Negru de Drāgāsani, and Tāmâioasā Româneascā. They are being made into quality Romanian wine.
The Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania
The Carpathian Mountains have a variety of soil compositions forming in their valleys, which suit vines well. The mountains also give shelter to the hills, moderating the temperature. Romanian autumns are long allowing grapes to ripen slower and thus concentrating their flavors.
I took it upon myself to find some Romanian wine at the local store.... and here are my personal reviews:
The first one is a red called Avincis Red by Vila Dabrusa from Dragasani Romania: It is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, and 15% Pinot Noir. It is like a left bank Bordeaux blend and it is full-bodied, smooth, and with medium tannins. I thought this wine was great! $20.
The other two wines I tried were whites.
The first was a Chardonnay called "I Am Chardonnay" from the I Am winery in Cramele Recas, Romania. This wine was a bit sweet for my personal taste. It's low in tannins and has flavors of peaches and citrus. It was just ok for me. It was $10.
The second one was from the same winery as the red. This is called "Avicis White" by Vila Dabrusa from Dragasani Romania. This wine is a blend of 50% Muscat Ottonel (mostly grown in Eastern Europe), 30% Cramposie Selectionata (indigenous to Romania), and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. This white wine was surprisingly good. Floral aromas with lingering citrus flavors on the palate. This wine was also in the $20 price-range.
Thank you again for following our wine journey. The Working Mom wine glasses have been ordered. They should be arriving this upcoming week. Stay tuned for the big reveal! Up next week on Wine Wednesday, we travel to South Africa. -Saluti
xoxo- Lisa