March 26th-Feteascǎ Regalǎ

Recently, I had the opportunity to taste a variety of wines from Romania. The first of the wines was a blend of white grapes, including Feteascǎ Regalǎ, Feteascǎ Albǎ, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Italian Riesling, and Tǎmâioasǎ Românească (Muscat Blanc). The grape I wanted to focus on was the Feteascǎ Regalǎ. Feteascǎ Regalǎ is the most planted of the Fetească varieties and the most planted grape variety in Romania. It was believed to be a progeny of Feteascǎ Albǎ but this was disproved through DNA analysis. It is a thin skinned grape that is susceptible to noble rot. The grapes retain their acidity, so in addition to being used for still wines, they can also be used in the production of sparkling wines. It can also be used as a distillate in brandy. This grape, like all grapes grown in Romania, is propagated in Moldova. Moldova and Romania were part of the same country, prior to being under Russian control. Romania has a history of limited exportation of their wines, mostly being consumed domestically. Romania is in the top 15 of wine consumption per person worldwide, beating out the US by a significant amount. Recently, there has been an increased effort to bring attention to Romanian wines to increase awareness of the quality and grape varieties of the country. Many growers still make wines with native grapes but when Romania joined the EU, growers were influenced to purchase and plant international (French) grape varieties. So, Romania also produces wines with more familiar grape varieties amongst consumers.