Romania

Question 1

Viticulture, an ancient tradition in this part of the world, changed abruptly, when?

Answer 1

the Iron Curtain after World War II and then under the Communists

Question 2

The new communist government emphasized what?

Answer 2

quantity and equality, which in winemaking terms translates to poorer quality

Question 3

Vineyard acreage greatly expanded with what?

Answer 3

substandard grapes and frost- and disease-resistant hybrids

Question 4

Under communist rule, winemaking was in the hands of whom?

Answer 4

huge co-operatives

Question 5

Since the fall of Communism in 1989, Romania has quickly shifted to what?

Answer 5

privatize its industry and refocus on quality

Question 6

Romania’s winemakers have reduced quantities from the industrialized era of the 1970s and 1980s, but still-

Answer 6

in 2009 led Eastern Europe in wine production

Question 7

Despite a domestic preference for white wines, Romania is increasing plantings of what red grapes?

Answer 7

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, in an effort to compete in premium world markets

Question 8

What are the most cultivated grapes in the country?

Answer 8

indigenous white grapes- Fetească Albă and Fetească Regală

Question 9

What other whites also enjoy significant acreage?

Answer 9

Riesling Italico (Welschriesling), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel and Pinot Gris

Question 10

What indigenous red grapes can achieve higher quality?

Answer 10

Feteasca Neagra, Burgund Mare, and Băbeasca Neagră

Question 11

What red grape is generally reserved for table wine production?

Answer 11

Rosioara (Bulgaria’s Pamid)

Question 12

When did Romania bring its wine classifications in line with EU legislation?

Answer 12

2002

Question 13

Romania established what 2 broad categories for wine?

Answer 13

“Wines for Current Consumption” (table wines)

Quality Wines

Question 14

Table wines are subdivided into what categories?

Answer 14

VM (table wine/Vin de Masa)

VMS (superior table wine/Vin de Masa Superior)

Question 15

Quality Wines are classified as what?

Answer 15

VS (quality wines with a geographic designation/Vin de Calitate Superioara, a PGI designation)
Or
DOC (Denumire de Origine Controlata, a PDO designation)

Question 16

Quality Wines are produced from what?

Answer 16

recommended and authorized grape varietals (excluding hybrids) in one of Romania’s seven major regions

Question 17

DOC wines may be further subcategorized as what?

Answer 17

DOC-CMD: grapes harvested at full maturity
DOC-CT: late-harvested grapes
DOC-CIB: botrytis-affected grapes

Question 18

Although Romania lies on the same latitude as France, the country’s climate is what?

Answer 18

continental

Question 19

What dominates the center of the country?

Answer 19

The Carpathian Mountains

Question 20

What marks the southern border with Serbia?

Answer 20

the Danube River, flowing eastward into the Black Sea

Question 21

Many of Romania’s wine regions form a ring along the outer slopes of the Carpathians, including which?

Answer 21

(clockwise from the northeast) Moldavia, Muntenia-Oltenia, Banat, and Crisana-Maramures in the northwest—the eastern extension of central Europe’s Pannonian Plain.

Question 22

What regions lie on the eastern Black Sea Coast?

Answer 22

Dobrogea and the Danube Terraces

Question 23

What region lies in the center of the country and contains Romania’s highest vineyards, buffered by the Carpathian peaks?

Answer 23

Transylvania

Question 24

In Transylvania, what DOC is one of Romania’s coolest and most important wine regions?

Answer 24

Tarnave DOC

Question 25

Describe the wines of Tarnave DOC

Answer 25

whites of high acidity from several varieties, including the Fetească grapes and Traminer Rosé

Question 26

What are the country’s most famous vinous product, having once enjoyed a reputation on par with Tokaji?

Answer 26

The sweet white wines of Cotnari DOC in Moldavia

Question 27

What is capable of reaching extreme ripeness levels and is Cotnari’s most prominent grape?

Answer 27

Grasa de Cotnari, which possibly shares a common lineage with Furmint

Question 28

What grapes may be blended with Grasa de Cotnari or vinified and bottled separately, as varietal wines?

Answer 28

Francusa, Tămâioasă Românească and Fetească Albă

Question 29

Describe the Tămâioasă Românească grape

Answer 29

has a unique, resiny aroma comparable to frankincense

Question 30

Cotnari may be dry, but what interpretations are the most complex and long-lived?

Answer 30

the sweet Grasa-based interpretations

Question 31

The Dealu Mare DOC within Muntenia-Oltenia is gaining a reputation for what?

Answer 31

red wines, particularly from CS and Pinot Noir

Question 32

Murfatlar DOC in Dobrogea is also providing promising what?

Answer 32

Cabernet and Pinot Noir, alongside more traditional white wines and late harvest Chardonnay