Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1036886
64 / the tasting panel / october 2018 BLIND TASTINGS WINE #2: JIDVEI 2016 MUSCAT OTTONEL, TARNAVE-JIDVEI DOC, TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA ($8) Presented by Ioana Benga, Export Manager for Jidvei While several contestants correctly identified Muscat as the grape variety, no one dared to imagine the second wine in the blind flight could hail from Romania. "I knew it would be very challenging to identify Romania—and especially Transylvania— as the region of origin," said Jidvei Export Manager Ioana Benga, adding that she instead focused on the grape variety to "offer a wine that represents our terroir without being obvi- ous—one that would perhaps intrigue the participants and compel them to discover more about Jidvei." One of the oldest and most important wine regions in Romania, the Tarnave-Jidvei DOC straddles the Transylvania plateau. It's surrounded by the sprawling Carpathian mountain range, with the Jidvei commune—the winery's namesake—at its core. Jidvei owns approximately 2,500 hectares under cultivation in the DOC, largely planted to aromatic white varieties like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Gewürztraminer, and the native Feteasca˘ Regala˘ and Feteasca˘ Alba˘ . Vine-growing in the area dates back to the Iron Age and was reportedly first mentioned by Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century B.C. Situated 1,000 feet above sea level, the DOC's altitude provides cool-climate growing conditions moderated by the nearby Târnava Mare and Târnava Mica˘ rivers. As a result, its white wines are typically fruity and light- to medium-bodied with excel- lent freshness and food-pairing prowess. On the nose, the Jidvei 2016 Muscat Ottonel boasted lovely notes of honeysuckle, linden flower, melon, and fresh apricot. While technically medium-dry with 5.65 grams per liter of residual sugar, this well-balanced Muscat displayed a juicy, bright, and slightly creamy mouthfeel that yielded refreshing flavors of cold green table grapes, orchard fruits, and musky flowers; the finish, meanwhile, featured an enchanting and palate-stimulating bitter-almond note. Best suited to serve as an apéritif, this Transylvanian tippler pairs well with melon and prosciutto, spicy Asian vegetable dishes, or steamed white fish with mango salsa. Benga somewhat apologetically remarked that while the Muscat may not be Jidvei's most interesting wine, as it's a quite straightforward variety, she felt it important to choose a gateway bottling that would be perhaps more recognizable to the tasters—"unlike that crazy Croatian wine," she quipped to laughs from the audience. Imported by Albus Imports, LLC.