Let’s explore a rare Transylvanian wine.
Wine Exploration
I’m always on the lookout for wines made from rare grapes or from less well-known wine regions. I just posted about a rare Austrian grape variety. Now, I’m continuing along the old Austro-Hungarian Empire to the region of Transylvania. Although it’s now part of Romania, there’s still a large Hungarian influence in many parts of Transylvania. The wine I found comes from the Crisana region, which is right at the border with Hungary in northwest Romania.
I was lucky enough to visit Transylvania twice. As I reflect on my wine exploration, it has in many ways become a proxy for my love of travel. As I’ve said in this blog before, it’s great to taste some world famous wines just like it’s great to explore places on the beaten track like Paris, Rome, New York, etc. At the same time, I love finding hidden gems in wine and travel.
While I was in Transylvania years ago, I really wasn’t into wine then. I was mostly served beer and palinka (a type of plum brandy). I recall only drinking one red wine in the region, but I have no idea what it was. However, the region is more well-known locally for its white wines. Although winemaking has improved here like in much of Eastern Europe after the Soviets left, it’s still rare to find wines from Romania. In fact, the much smaller Moldova has wines that are easier to find outside the region. Although someone like me loves finding indigenous grapes, it’s a tough sell for average consumers, so like many countries, they’re starting to adopt more international varieties.
Grünspitz
Grünspitz is certainly not typical for Romania. It’s a variety that is close to extinction with only a few vineyards growing it. Its origins aren’t clear with some saying it originated around Crisana or while others say it may originate from Serbia.
The main producer keeping it alive is Edgar Brutler around the town of Beltiug, where the typical varieties are Fetească Regală/Königliche Mädchentraube, Fetească Albă, Welschriesling, Mustoasa de Măderat, Furmint, and Kékfrankos/Blaufränkisch. In 2006, he took cuttings from pre-Soviet Grunspitz vines and planted them. Now it’s their signature grape.
Brutler definitely takes a low-intervention spin on his wines, but Grünspitz is generally considered a high acid, fairly tannic and low alcohol, late ripening white grape. However, there really aren’t any other examples to compare it with, so other winemakers might take a different spin on it.
Tasting Notes
2022 Weingut Edgar Brutler Grünspitz Crisana Transylvania, Romania
Whole bunch. Foot crushed. Barrel and amphora aging. Minimal sulfur added at bottling. Unfiltered. Color looks like there’s skin contact and there are some tannins and skin contact leafy notes on the palate but that could come from the whole cluster. Oxidative notes so that could explain the color some. Apple cidery. Tart and fruity. Nose is shy but with similar apple notes. Herbal notes. Low alcohol. It was too tart for some. Not overly funky though for a more natural wine style of winemaking. It’s not overtly skin contact in flavor profile but the color and structure makes you think it is but I don’t see any description saying it is. It’s really different, so hard to rate, but it’s interesting for wine geeks and not overly funky for average drinkers. I would like it with some stuffed cabbage I remember having in a small 150 inhabitant village wedding in Transylvania. 90