The Fetească Neagră Grape

(Synonyms: Coada Rândunicii, Fetyaska Chernaya, Păsarească Neagră, Poamă Fetei Neagră, Schwarze Mädchentraube.)

Background

Fetească Neagră is an old red-wine grape originating in Moldavia (a region that comprises today’s Republic of Moldova plus the Moldova region of Romania). Its plantings have now spread into the surrounding areas of Transilvania and Hungary, though most today comes from Romania.

Fetească Neagră is another of those delightful Eastern European wines that was almost wholly destroyed by the Soviet regime when those nations were “satellites” of Russia, where quantity was the sole criterion, quality apparently having been an unknown concept to the Soviets.

Fetească Neagră wines can cover a broad spectrum of styles, but are probably at their best when made as light, fresh, and fruit-driven, intended for early consumption. Heavier styles, with oaking used to moderate the “heat” from the variety’s inherently high alcohol content, are not reported as great successes. But when well-made as a young-drinking wine, it is considered a success indeed. To quote the eminent wine reviewer Jancis Robinson, “They are typically dry and full-bodied with intense, complex aromas of spice, both red and black fruit, especially ripe plums, and tannins that can become velvety as they age. The variety…can easily be over-oaked.

Factoid: Fetească Neagră is one member of a trio of Fetească wines, the other two being the white-wine grapes Fetească Regală and Fetească Albă, both also rather good.

Some Descriptions of Fetească Neagră Wines

Wikipedia
“These grapes produce dry, demi-dry or sweet wines, with an alcohol content of 12-14%, a deep red colour with ruby shades, and a black currant flavour, which becomes richer and smoother with aging.”
Wine Searcher
“It is considered to make some of the top red Romanian wines, exhibiting spicy, smoky fruit characters and good tannin structure. Feteasca Neagra wines can be aged if they are handled well in the winery…It is not commercially planted outside of eastern Europe, although a modern trend toward more obscure grape varieties may see this change in coming years, especially as the grape is considered to be of some quality…Wine made from Feteasca Neagra…is known for its deep ruby-red coloring and characteristic blackberry flavors. Dark cherries, plums and chocolate may also be detectable, as well as vanilla where wines have seen some oak…There are at least four different types of Feteasca Negra; these mutations suggest the grape variety is relatively old in its own right.”
Zoltan Kormos, Wine Commanders
“Due to the natural tendency to accumulate high level of sugar, it is unlikely to find wines with alcohol below 14% abv; most are rather close to 15%. Balancing this is a difficult target, the moderate level of acidity, tannins and flavour concentration does not help too much. The usual solution is to use new oak, and way too often too much of it. This rises a few questions: Why are so many Feteasca Neagra over oaked? Lack of winemaking skills or is this the style still preferred by the wine consumers? With delicate flavours of red and black fruits, especially ripe, black plum, soft, velvety tannins, round body, this grape seems to be better suited for fruity, instantly appealing wines, rather than for extended aging in new oak barrels. Winemakers try hard to create big, complex wines, but so far, there are not so many convincing examples of this style.”
Taste Atlas
“Depending on the region, dry Fetească Neagră wines can slightly differ in character, but they typically have moderate acidity and are usually not too overpowering or tannic. Typical aromas and flavors include dark fruits such as blackberries or plums, while oak-aged varieties tend to have spicy and toasty nuances.”
World’s Best Wines
“When fully matured and fermented, Feteasca Neagra gives off neat aromas with a wide variety of flavours depending on the fermentation process. It is a flexible variety that can provide red fruit wines that have to be consumed young or beverages that can well be aged in oak barrels to produce stronger and fruitier characteristics.”
Indigene Wines
“The maximum potential 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.”
Revino
“This variety can produce exceptional rosé wines to red wines that can be aged in quality oak barrels and then in the bottle, resulting in distinctive wines, with a pronounced typicity. Depending on the site and winemaking techniques, resulting wines show a range of flavors and fine tannin structure, good acidity, average to full body and medium to high alcohol level. The flavors and aromas are of fruits such as blackberries, plums or black cherries, brown and black [spices] such as cinnamon, vanilla, pepper and allspice, and toasted bread and skin (for old wines).”

Some Fetească Neagrăs to Try

Their are scant offerings of Fetească Neagră available in the U.S., which is a shame. Fortunately, one big nationwide retailer carries a couple of bottlings (both from the same maker).

For a Splurge

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This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

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