Fetească Neagră
Romania · Red · Available (A)
“Black maiden,” and unambiguously the flagship. An indigenous variety grown for centuries on substantial plantings in southern Moldova and eastern Muntenia, now cultivated in most Romanian regions and beyond the borders; synonyms include Poamă Fetei Neagră, Păsărească Neagră and Coada Rândunicii. Deep and dark with a spicy character — cherry, blackberry, plum, anise, liquorice — and soft, velvety tannins, with vibrant acidity and a need for some oak to show fully. It can reach 200–240 g/l of sugar, or 270 when late-harvested, with acidity above 7 g/l tartaric at yields of 7–8 t/ha; the best examples come from oak maturation followed by bottle age. Comparisons are made to Blaufränkisch. Widely exported.