In the 1980s, Albariño was barely known in the US. A decade earlier, the same could have been said about Sancerre, and it wasn’t until the 90s that the first big wave of Grüner Veltliner hit American shores.

In each case, wine lovers in the States were given a window into an ancient winemaking tradition. They viewed each with suspicion at first—interlopers in a “classic” wine world. But each of these now seems essential to a fully formed wine list.

If you feel the same way about Romanian wine in a few years, you can bet we won’t be surprised.

After all, Romanian wine traditions are old. The Romans established both vines and their language in Romania—limba română is lexically most similar to Italian. If the country hadn’t been hidden behind the Iron Curtain for most of the 20th Century, Romanian wines might be as well known today as bottles from Spain and Portugal.

When Davino was founded in 1997, it was only the third privately held winery created since the revolution in ‘89. The rest were state-run cooperatives. Since the beginning, they realized that the path to success was to prove how good Romanian wine could be. Quality defines everything they do, and they make a stunning example of Feteascǎ Albǎ (branded here in partnership for their American importer) one of the most important heirloom grape varieties in the country.

The glass has a hint of gold to it, and the nose is a beautiful mix of honeysuckle, white peach, and Meyer lemon, layered with fresh hay, alpine herbs, and crushed limestone. The palate is supple yet bright—ripe pear, melon, and citrus glide across a silky texture, lifted by vibrant acidity and a gentle mineral edge.

We paired our first bottle with a plate of grilled shrimp that had been tossed in a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, and a ton of fresh herbs. The combination was brilliant. A second showed just as well with oregano-rubbed chicken grilled to golden perfection.

Davino sells most of their production in Europe, so very few bottles reach American shores. Our quantities on this are so limited that we couldn’t send this email out to the entirety of our email list. Grab it while you have the chance.

About Feteascǎ Albǎ