Romania is located at the geographical crossroads between Central and South-Eastern Europe. The Romanian wine industry uses a wide range of indigenous and international red and white Grape varieties.
Both vinifera and American grape species are present here, as well as a number of hybrids. The latter are chosen for their resistance to varying Climates.
The Fetească white grape varieties (the two variants Fetească Regală and Alba) are the most widely planted in Romania. They account for a significant portion of the country's white wine production. Romanian "Riesling" is more likely to be Welschriesling than true Rhenish Riesling. Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat (Ottonel) and Sauvignon Blanc are reliably identifiable.
As far as red wines are concerned, the great Bordeaux classics Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are planted in large numbers in Romanian vineyards and together account for about 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Other well-known reds include Pinot Noir and Blaufrankisch (Kekfrankos/Lemberger). Fetească Neagră makes its home in the eastern Part of the country, in the province of Moldova (or Moldavia), on the border with the country of the same name.
With Ukraine to the North and Bulgaria to the south, Romania is clearly a country with Slavic influences.
In brief: Rhône 2020 En Primeur Northern Rhône 2020: 4.5/5 A reliably fresh, balanced and approachable vintage – a return to classicism after a series of powerful years. Excellent white wines. Southern Rhône: 4/5 Fresh, juicy and immediate reds with lower alcohol than recent years, though some lack concentration. Beautiful white wines. ‘These are wines that will provide huge amounts of pleasure, straight out of the gate. It is that rare thing – an excellent vintage for early drinking.̵ ...
Police ordered the evacuation of more local residents in the Landiras area yesterday (Monday 18 July), with Liber Pater’s vineyard in Graves also evacuated as firefighters continued to try to contain a large forest fire that has been burning for the past week. A ‘fog’ of fire smoke behind Liber Pater vines on Tuesday morning (19 July), said owner Loïc Pasquet, who was briefly able to return to the site. Smoke hasn’t been a problem so far, he said. Credit: Loïc Pasquet. ‘The pol ...
Australian wine exports dropped by 19% to A$2.08bn in the year to 30 June, said trade body Wine Australia this week. While exports to some countries rose, notably the US, the group’s report for the 2021-22 financial year offered fresh insight into a slide in shipments to China. Mainland China imposed varying import tariffs ranging from 116% to more than 200% on Australian bottled wines from late 2020 onwards. Exports to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, dropped by 74% in the 12 months to 30 ...