Băbească Neagră (Moldavia)

We tried something new today -- one of us flying in to Bucharest, Romania and heading north by northeast and the other in to Chisinau, Moldova and meeting in the middle in the region that was once known as Moldavia. If we straddle the River Prut, we find our feet in Romania on one side and Moldova on the other. On either side, we need not walk far to find Băbească Neagră growing.

Long an important line for boats to take commerce from the Black Sea inland where the Prut flows into the Danube, the area was frequently under siege and a battleground as various tribes fought for domination of the area. Today, the Galati side sits in Romania while the Cahul side sits in Moldova. Together, these areas around the Prut are known as Moldavia.

Băbească Neagră is a red grape that translates to English as grandmother's black. Yhe grape buds late making it resistant to the often harsh winters of the area. It also ripens quite late. The thin skin, however, produces a particularly light-bodied wine that is a pale red, almost pink. It also makes the grape particularly susceptible to bunch rot and to noble rot or botrytis although winemakers have not figured out how to used the botrytized grapes to make a great dessert wine out of it.

The wines that we get from Băbească Neagră are light-bodied and fruity with loads of sour cherry and high acidity. Pair Băbească Neagră with cheese-filled pastries, vegetable-based spreads and cottage cheese -- strike that, never eat cottage cheese with anything.