In case you are wondering, Transylvania isnÂ’t a restaurant in Sydney but a state in Romania that belonged to Hungary until they lost the land through complications in the 2nd World War. Hungarians still speak the old language and live like as it was back in the 30Â’s. I go to Transylvania every year because my wife is from there and we usually visit her family and the countryside.
The Zeteváralja region in Transylvania - These quietly sleeping villages are a welcome change after the hustle and bustle of Sydney
This year we rented a hunting lodge by the river near Szováta, walked the forest and ate beautiful fresh water trouts in the nearby restaurant.
Naturally I tried some Romanian wines, some worse than others but there was one, very drinkable, old fashioned Riesling from the Jidvei region. The quality level of that was like the HardyÂ’s Siegersdorf in Australia.
The local speciality in Szováta, the freshwater trout
2001 Dry Riesling Jidvei Region-Romania
Colour medium golden. Classical flowery and mineral scents of Riesling. On the palate, German style, smooth and quite full bodied. Made from ripe grapes, there was a hint of sweetness in this dry wine. Packed with ripe flavours, this Riesling has reached its peak. Nice long finish but the quite low acid level suggests that it will not develop further. I enjoyed it a lot with my trout. A good mouthful of lovely Romanian Riesling is worth a try.
My wine was served in a very old fashioned (19th Century?) glass
I also drank a 2003 from the Murfatlar region but that was an average Riesling. At our farewell party a few days later, someone gave me a glass of 2004 Ausbruch Cabernet Sauvignon, but this medium sweet 19th century success story didnÂ’t work for my 21st Century palate and I poured it down the sink. My Transylvanian brother in law who as a company director earns AU $300 a week didnÂ’t believe me when I answered his question “What do you consider an excellent wine then?Ââ€Â
I said that the 1996 Grange is a very impressive red even at $360+ a bottle. He found it incomprehensible that someone would spend that much money on one bottle.
“Oh, there are people who spend more. A lot more†I assured him. But it’ll take a while before that sort of spending happens in Transylvania.
Cheers,
Attila
Tasted: June 2005