{"id":30682,"date":"2021-09-25T20:14:33","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T20:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wine-and-spirits.md\/?p=30682"},"modified":"2026-06-16T20:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:15:12","slug":"feteasca-regala-wines-in-moldova","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wine-and-spirits.md\/en\/feteasca-regala-wines-in-moldova\/","title":{"rendered":"Feteasca Regal\u0103 Wines in Moldova"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winemakers of the old school refer to the Feteasca Regal\u0103 grape as \u201cMuscat Feteasca\u201d due to its perceived muscat notes – and they are accustomed to finding them in the wines. Two years ago, the National Office of Vine and Wine assembled two expert groups to define the aromatic profile of Feteasca Regal\u0103 wines. At the time, it was noted that the variety had not yet been fully characterized, as not all samples displayed the muscat nuances considered typical.<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I set out to form my own opinion of Feteasca Regal\u0103 wines in Moldova by assembling a tasting of a dozen wines from different vintages (2016\u20132020), including a small vertical from a single producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, I should note that some of my conclusions diverge from conventional views.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carpe Diem Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 (Casa Vinicol\u0103 Luca)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pale straw color with brilliance. The initial nose reveals acacia blossom and grape flower. With aeration, floral notes quickly recede, giving way to citrus – most notably lemon – along with apple and peach skin. After about 30 minutes, slightly unripe apricot appears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crisp freshness. Silky texture with vibrant acidity. On the palate – almond notes, later joined by grapefruit. The finish is mouthwatering, with refreshing acidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day, the wine remains very fresh and juicy, with aromas of tropical fruit pulp – pineapple, lemon, and peach. Alcohol: 12.5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 IGP Codru (Chateau Vartely)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pale straw with greenish hues and brilliance. There are a lot of legs left on the walls of the glass. The first nose is fruity. The aroma reveals apricot peel, lemon zest, a light tarry note that quickly fades, lemon pulp, and almond. A little later, ripe sliced \u200b\u200bquince, sweetness, a hint of ginger, and apricot kernel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silky texture, good acidity. The palate reveals almond and grapefruit. The aftertaste reveals a hint of lemon. Alcohol: 14%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 Leova (Experimental Microvinification, NOVW)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grapes were grown on the NOVW demonstration plot in Leova. The wine is straw-colored and shimmering. The initial nose is floral and fruity. The aroma reveals the sweetness of ripe fruit, honey flowers (a blooming meadow on a summer day), quince, baked apple, hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, dried apricots, and orange zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ripe aromas suggested a fairly high alcohol content, but it only reached 11%, as a drought year halted the sugar accumulation of this variety on that plot. The taste reveals almond nuances and floral aromas. The finish is green apple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 (Domeniile Pripa)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This wine is valuable because the drought in Andrei Pripa’s vineyard in Purcari nearly dried out the Feteasca Regal\u0103 grapes. In 2020, he harvested only 800 kg of grapes from his 1.5 h\u0430, making the resulting wine practically worth its weight in gold. It’s just hitting the market; I tasted it without a label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the berries contained little juice, it was very concentrated and darker than usual. This also affected the wine’s color, which is a bright, light yellow with brilliance. The first nose is ripe fruit. The aroma reveals candied fruit, dried herbs, quince, apple, and apricot kernel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taste reveals a pleasant, refreshing acidity (I was surprised that the vibrant acidity was preserved despite the extreme drought and heat), almond notes, and apricot kernel flavors, which continues through the finish, permeating every aspect of the wine. Alcohol content: 13.5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aurore Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 IGP Valul lui Traian (Fautor)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tasted this wine two months apart. It has changed slightly over this time, which is natural, as wine is a living organism that develops in the bottle. The initial nose is floral and fruity. The aroma features almond, apricot kernel, sweetness, apricot marshmallow, peach peel, apple, fresh herbs, a hint of lemon, quince, a hint of cinnamon, and a touch of jasmine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The texture is silky. The taste reveals a lemony note, fading into Duchesse pear. The aftertaste features lemon zest and a light hint of Duchesse candy. Alcohol content: 12%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited Edition Feteasca Regal\u0103 2019 (Cricova)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very pale straw color with a greenish tint is striking. The initial nose reveals not-quite-ripe fruit and candy. Ten minutes later, the glass reveals Duchesse pear, greenish apricot, and meadow grasses. The wine exudes freshness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has a silky texture and pronounced acidity. The taste reveals unripe apricot, then almond. The finish reveals more apricot. A clean, harmonious wine with an alcohol content of 13%. It has held up beautifully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autograf Feteasca Regal\u0103 2019 IGP Valul lui Traian (Gitana Winery)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wine is light yellow in color. The initial nose is floral and fruity. The aroma reveals apple, dried flowers and meadow grasses from a hot summer, dried peach and dried apricot, and apricot kernels. The southern origins of this grape are evident. An hour later, a hint of nutmeg emerged, and two hours after uncorking, grape blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taste reveals almond notes and the aroma of dried wildflowers. The finish reveals grapefruit pulp. Alcohol content: 13.5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Vineyard \u2013 Different Wines and Vintages<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"9920\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Spumant Viu Feteasca Regal\u0103 2020 Brut (Pet-Nat) (Vinum)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the only Pet-nat in Moldova made from Feteasca Regal\u0103, and it certainly differs from still wine made from the same grape. Its foaming qualities are especially noteworthy. When poured, it produced an excellent mousse – a tall head – in a wine glass, not a flute. It held up well, reaching 3-4 cm. I’ve never seen anything like this with sparkling wines in a wine glass. Even in a flute, the foam quickly disappears. Some have said that Feteasca Regal\u0103 isn’t suitable for sparkling wines. In Romania, it’s used in blends of wines “with magical bubbles.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me remind you that a bottle of P\u00e9t-nat always contains yeast sediment, and the wine isn’t perfectly clear. Therefore, the initial nose has a yeasty note, which then fades. P\u00e9t-nat is good because it opens up quickly. The aroma reveals bright Duchesse pear, juicy overripe apricot, almond, cut grape, and fresh fruity sweetness. The taste is a dry wine with almond nuances and aromas of apricot and Duchesse. Its charm lies in the freshness of its aromas. Alcohol content: 12.5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feteasca Regal\u0103 2019 (Vinum)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wine is a light straw color with a greenish tint and shimmer. The first nose is brightly floral. The aroma features fruit, with ripe apricot prominent among them, a hint of ginger, and a bouquet of garden flowers, with a hint of almond in the background. The floral notes then fade, giving way to aromatic herbs with a hint of lime, and the ginger note becomes much stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The palate features almond, floral aromas, and aromatic herbs. The finish reveals a hint of lime. On the second day, the wine was in good shape, but the floral notes were gone. Alcohol content: 12.7%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Snob Feteasca Regal\u0103 2018 (Vinum)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wine is a light yellow color with brilliance. The aroma features almond, dried herbs (though more restrained than the 2019 Feteasca Regal\u0103), dried apricot, and grapefruit. Its silky texture allows the wine to glide smoothly across the palate. The palate reveals almond and grapefruit zest, and the finish is grapefruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day, the fruity notes became more pronounced, revealing apple, along with a bouquet of dried wildflowers, honeycomb, and peach pits. This wine became even more interesting on the second day and was enjoyed more than the first. Alcohol content: 12.4%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Snob Feteasca Regal\u0103 2016 (Vinum)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wine is a light golden color with brilliance. The first nose reveals spicy herbs, with hints of tropical fruit and dried apricot. The texture is delicate and the acidity is excellent. The palate reveals a hint of almond, with a finish of grapefruit zest. Alcohol content: 13%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the second day the wine became brighter. Suddenly, grape flowers appeared, as well as tropical fruits, ripe quince, dried apricot, spicy herbs, and a hint of white pepper. Moreover, the aroma of grape flowers has become leading. There was a hint of Duchess pear on the palate. This five-year-old wine surprised me with its brightness and freshness. What\u2019s good about tasting at home is that there is time for wonderful discoveries, which, by the way, in the case of older or aged wines often happen on the second day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This wine changed my perception and attitude toward the Feteasca Regal\u0103 grape variety. Before, I hadn’t believed that wine made from it could improve with age. I didn’t expect it to have such staying power, especially in a bottle sealed with a screw cap in April 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selection Vladlen Uzhakov Feteasca Regal\u0103 Light Barrique 2020 (Vinum)<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now Feteasca Regal\u0103, aged in oak barrels (the winemaker does not disclose the period). In this case – in new, 350-liter, French oak. The wine is light straw color, with a greenish tint, with shine. The first nose is herbs. For the first time in the aroma of Feteasca Regal\u0103 I encountered a delicate note of dried busuic (basil). It also contains freshness, meadow herbs, ginger, white pepper, ripe apricot. Silky texture, slightly oily; pronounced acidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The taste includes spicy herbs and the aroma of basil. In the aftertaste there is a bitterness of herbs. It is not heavy with oak, very harmonious and coherent. Beautiful wine. Its strength is 12.7%. This wine is just entering the market, I tasted it without a label. Along with another sample, it was the last one that came to me after the other wines had been tasted, so they are not in the photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Across the 12 wines tasted, the aromatic profile includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n