Mimi Premium Wines | Feteasca Alba

What is Feteasca Alba and how did I come across this wine?  Well the kind folks at Colangelo PR reached out to me a while back to see if I would be interested in trying out some wines from Moldova.  I was interested and a few days later a box of wine (a box with bottles in it) arrived.  One of the wines was by a producer named Mimi.  The label was difficult to understand, not being in english but I did gather that Feteasca Alba must be the variety of grape used.

A little background on The Republic of Moldova and their wine history (from Colangelo PR)

 

• Moldova has the greatest density of vineyards in the world
• Over 276,000 acres of grape vines grow on 7% of Moldova’s arable land.
• Moldova cultivates indigenous varietals like Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Traminer and Saperavi
• International grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and others are grown as well
• Over 250,000 citizens are employed by the wine industry
• Moldova’s wine industry accounts for 3.2% of the gross domestic product and 7.5% of the country’s total export

According to Wines of Moldova the first vines planted in Moldova can be traced as far back as 7,000 years with the first records of wine making dating back 3,000 years.  The area is mentioned with reference to wine in Homer’s Iliad (800 B.C.)  Talk about old world wine!

Feteasca Alba?  What is it?  It’s a grape indigenous  to Romania, Hungry, Transylvania and Moldova.  It’s also very difficult to find any information on.  So what does it taste like?

On the nose, pleasantly aromatic, predominantly apricot.  At first the palate was dry and austere, but after the wine warmed up the fruit really began to show itself.  This wine would really benefit from at least an hour of decanting and to be served close to the temperature you would serve red wine.  There are layers of grapefruit and pear intermingled with subtle minerality.  The wine is light (12% alcohol) which also lends itself to warmer serving temperature.  Even at a serving temperature of above 70F I didn’t detect any alcoholic heat.

This wine was a pleasant surprise.  If you’re looking to try something completely different I recommend trying this wine. And remember, don’t serve it too cold!

Weekly Wine Journal Rating: 88 points