<table align="right" valign="top"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/userpix/70_vinconfeteascaneagrasml_2.jpg" border="1" align="left"></td></tr></table>I love coming across vinous underdogs: wines that get totally bypassed by all the noisy, slick, glossy marketing hype. More often than not what I find strikes me as well made, humble wines that do not conform to the high-alcohol, high-sugar, low-originality style that dominates so many industrial mass-market bottlings these days.
Enter a varietal Feteasca Neagra by Vincon, Romania. Feteasca Neagra is an indigenous Romanian vinifera grape whose name translates as "Black Maiden". The wine itself is neither so saturated nor so dark as to warrant the adjective, "black" - yet it is truly a well-balanced wine that is pleasantly modest and a pleasure to have at table.
Sporting a very reasonable and nowadays rarely seen moderate alcohol level of 12%, the Vincon Feteasca Neagra from the Cotesti region presents a very attractive, clear garnet/ruby hue of medium intensity and perfect translucence. The nose shows a clean, attractive bouquet of juicy red fruits, a hint of meaty spice and a dusty note. Excellent acidity on the entry; crisp yet balanced; fully dry and quite tannic all across the palate. Medium-bodied with an excellent structure; grippy tannins, a chalky texture and a bit drying towards the finish, yet very balanced with nothing out of place; moderate alcohol gives a gentle warmth with no harshness at all. Palate-cleansing. The tannins suggest that this would be a wonderful accompaniment to roast beef or a rare steak. In every way a food wine, although I am having a second glass without food at the time of writing and it is a pleasure to sip on its own.
The best part: It's only $9.10 at the LCBO. One of the few non-internationalized wines on the general list in recent years, and a double bonus that it's from an indigenous Eastern European grape variety.