Moldova has several highly interesting local grape varieties that deserve far more attention. Viorica is one of them. It’s a white grape with a big personality, often combining floral and spicy aromas with citrus and sometimes a touch of honey. It can be very aromatic, though not always. It depends entirely on the style the winemaker is aiming for.
One of its parents is a red muscat grape, which explains the aromatic character. The other parent is a French hybrid, also red, which is somewhat surprising given that viorica itself is a white grape. We recently tasted this superb wine:
Crama Mircești Viorica Vin Sec Alb 2022
The first thing that strikes you is the high acidity — 8.1 g/l — but this remarkable freshness is beautifully balanced by abundant citrus aromas, a full body, and a slightly floral finish. I really enjoyed this wine. (Note from the editor: and identified it blind as viorica!) It is made from young vines planted in 2020, making this vintage the first.
The winemaker is Arcadie Fosnea, who opened Crama Mircești for visitors in 2020. He built the estate from scratch in the forgotten village of Mircești, 80 km from the capital Chișinău, and created jobs for 40 villagers. The estate includes a small hotel and restaurant.
BKWine has visited and can confirm that the food too is delicious and traditionally Moldovan. Arcadie Fosnea learned winemaking in Germany and has worked at Château Vartely, one of Moldova’s top wineries.
We have also tasted excellent Viorica wines from Atú Winery and Vinaria Javgur, the latter producing a viorica/pinot grigio blend.
You can find quite a few articles on wine from Moldova on BKWine Magazine here.
