New discoveries – Țelna Winery
Țelna Winery draws its vigour from the Alba Iulia Vineyard, one of the oldest Transylvanian vineyards. Șard, Țelna, Cricău and Ighiu form the "heart of the vineyard".
Excavated 20-25 meters below the hill guarding the mansion, in 1784, the cellar of Țelna Winery is unique in the region. Having the shape of the letter "U", it is no less than 150 meters long and 6 meters wide. Here, the temperature (10-11°C) and humidity (98-100%) are constant throughout the year thanks to the natural ventilation.
I am happy every time I learn about the existence of new wineries and when I also learn their story, things become even more interesting: I want to get there to feel the place and try the wines of that region.
As I am looking for new and less known wineries to give you news here in Winesday App, this spring I discovered Țelna Winery, a winery located in the heart of the country, in Transylvania. Even though I haven't reached them yet, we've talked and they've been open to telling me about their story, wines and places.
I found out on this occasion that they only produce white wines from varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel and Fetească Regală and their ranges include dry and semi-dry wines from the Corbul Alb, Crama Telna and Colecția 1784 collections.
After reviewing their portfolio, I was curious about the wines, so I purchased wines from Colecția 1784. The first wine tasted is Fetească Regală from the 2018 harvest, a dry wine, with a bright lemon yellow color.
And because I believe it's worth getting to know their wines, I leave here my tasting notes for Fetească Regală from Colecția 1784.
In the smell citrus aromas were distinguished from the beginning: lemon and grapefruit, these being complemented by notes of white apricot and summer flowers. I found it a particularly fragrant wine and very complex in terms of smell.
The taste is defined by citrus aromas in particular, ripe apricots, yellow apple but also notes of wildflowers. The wine has a long aftertaste and I enjoyed it at 7-8 degrees Celsius, just the right temperature for a summer day. Being a hot day I cooled the wine at 4 degrees but only when the wine reached 7-8 degrees I really did feel the multitude of aromas. At 4 degrees only the citrus notes showed up in the taste at first.
The wine has 12.8% alcohol, high acidity and goes well with fattier fish and soft cheeses.
Colecția 1784 includes, in addition to Fetească Regală, wines from all grape varieties grown by the winery: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel and a Cuvee made from Fetească Regală and Muscat Ottonel. If you are a white wine lover you should try them too, and you can find them in the Țelna Winery's online shop.
Have a cool summer!
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
In the smell citrus aromas were distinguished from the beginning: lemon and grapefruit, these being complemented by notes of white apricot and summer flowers. I found it a particularly fragrant wine and very complex in terms of smell.
The taste is defined by citrus aromas in particular, ripe apricots, yellow apple but also notes of wildflowers. The wine has a long aftertaste and I enjoyed it at 7-8 degrees Celsius, just the right temperature for a summer day. Being a hot day I cooled the wine at 4 degrees but only when the wine reached 7-8 degrees I really did feel the multitude of aromas. At 4 degrees only the citrus notes showed up in the taste at first.
The wine has 12.8% alcohol, high acidity and goes well with fattier fish and soft cheeses.
Colecția 1784 includes, in addition to Fetească Regală, wines from all grape varieties grown by the winery: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel and a Cuvee made from Fetească Regală and Muscat Ottonel. If you are a white wine lover you should try them too, and you can find them in the Țelna Winery's online shop.
Have a cool summer!
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
