We recently had the opportunity to re-taste a wine from Moldova. A couple of years ago, we travelled around to almost all of the wineries in the country to help them develop their wine tourism activity. But this time, the occasion was that the first (?) feteasca neagra was launched in the “regular range” at the Swedish monopoly. The wine comes from Castel Mimi, one of the bigger and well-known producers in the country. The grape is the local feteasca neagra. I tasted the wine blind and thought it was excellent value for around nine euro.
Moldova is slowly becoming known again as a wine country to be reckoned with. It is a small country, squeezed in between Romania and Ukraine. The country has no coast, but the Black Sea is close. There are plenty of vineyards here, but productivity is currently low. Many vineyards are abandoned. But dynamism and initiative are not lacking, and today there is a good base of larger producers and several smaller, exciting growers who do not hesitate to experiment and who want to develop the country’s local grape varieties.
Castel Mimi was founded by Constantin Mimi, who was an outstanding personality in Moldova’s wine history. In the late 19th century, he travelled to Montpellier, France, to study wine and winemaking. The Mimi “castle” was completed in 1901. Constantine sold his wines throughout the Russian Empire. He died in 1935, and a long period followed when Castel Mimi did not produce anything other than simple volume wine. The chateau itself was turned into a wine factory during the Soviet era. Then the buildings fell into disrepair.
All this is now a thing of the past. We visited Castel Mimi in 2019. The chateau and the cellars have been restored and have regained the splendour of the old days. It’s very nicely done. One cannot help being impressed.
Cristina Frolov is in charge of Castel Mimi. Her parents bought the property in 1998 and then ensued a long and arduous renovation before they could open the chateau for visitors in 2016. Cristina is also the newly appointed head of the Moldovan National Office for Vine and Wine.
Read more about Castel Mimi in our previous article about the winery here.
Feteasca neagra is a grape that Moldova shares with Romania. The grape produces wines with good structure and body, often with herbs and dark fruit. In both countries, winters can be harsh with low temperatures, but that is not a problem for feteasca neagra. In addition, it can withstand drought well, an excellent property of a grape today. In Moldova, they want to plant more local grapes; at present, however, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and syrah dominate among the red grapes. But we can probably expect more domestic and Romanian grapes in the future.
Castel Mimi Grande Reserve 2019 Feteasca neagra, Moldova
Lovely, fresh fruit with ripe, dark cherries; the oak is well balanced, and there is a pleasant freshness with a smooth finish. Excellent value for around 9 euro.
Read more about wines from Moldova in several previous articles here.
