#182 Tămâioasă Românească

Tămâioasă Românească Princiar Special Reserve

Translated to English: "Romanian Incensed Maiden".  Here we have a late harvest white.  Nose is sweet honeysuckle.  Sweet on the palate; somewhere between a table and a desert white.  Finish is gentle.  Not a bad showing for Romanian wine #2.  I would love to try a well aged version of this wine.

#181 Krstac

Here we have a Krstac from Montenegro and I will say "impressive".  It is refreshing and bright, has just the right amount of fullness on the palate and finishes clean.  This is actually a wine I would buy again.  Wiki confirms my opinion it seems:

Krstač is an ancient variety of grape that is indigenous to Montenegro and Serbia. A high quality dry white wine is made of it. The wine may be rich, of harmonious bouquet and of light yellow color with 12.5% alcohol.^"

And in doing a little research about the area:

"Alcohol comsumption
There is neither a minimum nor a maximum legal drinking age in Montenegrins bars and shops."

Maximum drinking age?  Ouch...

#180 Ojaleshi

This is another semi-sweet wine.  This one hails from the Republic of Georgia and is made by the "Georgian Royal Estates".  The flavor profile is very much in line with the previous 3-4 wines in the list.  I am sure they are all well made wines but they are just too sweet for my palate.

#179 Feteasca Neagra

At this stage in the quest I am having a harder and harder time uncovering much information about these wines.  This is a 2007 from Tohani Domain.  It is a Romanian late harvest semi-sweet wine (as many seem to be from this general area of the world).  Welch's purple in the glass.  Sweet prunes on the front palate, phantom finish and a general acidity on the top palate.  And hey its my first Romanian wine!  Cheers to that.

#178 Pamid

Rounding out the Bulgarian Three is a grape named Pamid.  This wine like the other two is quite clear.  There is not much of a nose save for a hint of alcohol.  The wine itself is one dimensional and a bit sharp.  Its a simple wine meant to be consumed young.  $5.99 and 11% ABV.

#177 Shevka

Shevka... Another Bulgarian grape but other than a few mentions on various Bulgarian websites as one of Bulgaria's premier grapes there is very little out there.

This wine is a clear cranberry red.  Nose is sweet watermelon and old roses.  Flavor is semi sweet strawberry candy.  Finish is warming and schnapps like with a fading hint of woodiness.

That about covers it for this one....

#176 Mavrud

It has been quite a long time since I have been able to pursue my quest.  I notice that my last post was in December of 2009.  Well.... as luck would have it I happened upon a treasure trove of wines while searching for fresh produce during our extended Chicago cold snap.  I am now driving for that 200 varietal number and begin this new leg of the quest with a Mavrud from Bulgaria.

 This wine is clear and touched with amber.  It has currant on the nose and a mildly acidic fruit on the tongue.  This 12% abv wine finishes with a dry lingering soft woody flavor.

Best of all is the story behind the grape (for those who don't follow links).  "Legend says that during the reign of Khan Krum of Bulgaria all vineyards were ordered destroyed. Later, a lion escaped from its cage and terrorized the city. However, a fearless young man named Mavrud (now the name of a wine grape) confronted and slew the beast. The king summoned Mavrud's mother to learn the source of such courage. She said she had secretly saved a vine, made wine, and that this was the source of Mavrud's bravery. Khan Krum ordered the vineyards replanted."