Ep265 - Romanian Wine Explained: Indigenous Grapes, Fetească Neagră & Europe's Most Underrated Wine Region with Cramele Recas

About this episode

Janina Doyle explores Romanian wine with winemakers Nora Iriarte and Hartley Smithers, discussing indigenous grapes and the country's wine regions.

Romania is home to some of Europe's most exciting indigenous grape varieties, yet remains one of the continent's most overlooked wine destinations. In this episode, Janina sits down with Winemaking duo and Husband and Wife, Nora Iriarte and Hartley Smithers of Cramele Recaș to explore Fetească Neagră, Fetească Regală and Fetească Albă, uncovering why Romanian wine deserves far more attention from wine lovers around the world. Along the way, they debate cork versus screwcap, discuss natural fermentation and minimal intervention winemaking, explain how climate change is affecting Romanian vineyards, and reveal the realities of producing quality wine at scale. You'll also discover Romania's key wine regions, get wine travel recommendations for Timișoara, learn why Fetească Neagră is one of Europe's most exciting red grapes, and hear firsthand what modern Romanian winemaking looks like today. Shownotes 1:45 – Introduction to Cramele Recas and their sustainability credentials 3:49 – An overview of the wine regions in Romania 06:19 – Nora's unforgettable introduction to the wine world and the hilarious misunderstanding that filled her car with wine samples. 09:13 – Hartley's biggest…

People in this episode

Host: Janina Doyle

Guests: Nora Iriarte, Hartley Smithers

Topics covered

• Romanian wine
• indigenous grapes
• winemaking
• wine regions
• sustainability
• wine travel

Keywords

• Romanian wine
• Fetească Neagră
• Cramele Recaș
• wine regions
• natural fermentation
• minimal intervention winemaking
• wine closures
• Timișoara

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cramele Recaș

Products: Fetească Neagră, Fetească Regală, Fetească Albă

Places: Romania, Timișoara

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