🥃 Vinars Târnave

Vinars Târnave is an EU-protected geographical indication for a Romanian wine spirit from the Jidvei winegrowing centre in Alba County, in the valleys of the Târnava Mică and Târnava Mare rivers. It is made from Fetească Regală and Riesling wine, distilled twice, aged in barrels of local oak and sold from 37.5% vol.

The zone comprises 10 localities of the Jidvei centre, among them Jidvei, Șona and Cetatea de Baltă. A foggy late autumn slows the ripening of the grapes and preserves an acidity of 7.5–10.7 g/l. Harvesting starts in September at a sugar content of 145–200 g/l, and the grapes reach the winery within an hour. Fetească Regală is a natural cross of Grasă and Fetească Albă; it was first grafted precisely in the Târnave vineyards.

The wine, at 8.5–12% vol., is kept on its lees below 15 °C and distilled by 15 June. The first fraction of the second distillation, the heads at 84–96% vol., is discarded, and the heart at 70–86% vol. is aged. The spirit is diluted to 60–65% vol. and kept in barrels of up to 600 l below 18 °C at 75–92% humidity. The oak comes from the forests of Jidvei commune: the staves dry for 40 months in darkness, and the barrels are toasted over a wood fire; local coopers have made them for more than 300 years.

The vinars is bottled only in Jidvei, in colourless, slightly conical 700 ml bottles. The technical file was sent to the EU on 23 January 2018.

Why it matters for you. The V–XO category and the ageing period are stated on the back label. WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.