Local red grape
Fetească Neagră wine: the old red grape of Moldova
Fetească Neagră is an old red grape of the region. We make no still red from Fetească Neagră alone: the grape goes into our KAVI sparkling wine, two rosés and two red blends. Here is what the sources say about it and how we use it.
An old red grape of the region
The National Office for Vine and Wine describes Fetească Neagră as an old variety local to the region, possibly grown since Geto-Dacian times in south-east Romania and in today’s Republic of Moldova. It gives relatively pale wines with gentle, soft tannins and spicy berry fruit, and seems particularly well suited to the sunny slopes of southern Moldova.
It is one of the indigenous grapes Moldova puts forward: the Office’s director names it among the varieties that “deliver wines with a strong sense of place”.
How we use it
- KAVI (150 MDL): a brut rosé sparkling wine from Fetească Neagră, harvest 2025, PGI Codru, made by the Charmat method (11.5% vol); serve at 6–8 °C.
- Artitude Fetească Neagră Rosé (189 MDL): a dry rosé.
- Goliard Rosé 2024 (289 MDL): a dry rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon and Fetească Neagră (13.5% vol).
- Two dry red blends of Fetească Neagră, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot: Artitude Trilogy 2017 (349 MDL; ripe blackberry and plum, cherry, delicate spice), which Jamie Goode scored 88 points out of 100, and Goliard Red Reserve 2017 (449 MDL), aged 6 months in oak.
Awards
- 2026Silver, Decanter World Wine AwardsGoliard Fetească Neagră rosé 2025
- 2025Silver, Decanter World Wine AwardsGoliard Fetească Neagră–Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot 2017
- 2018Silver, International Wine Contest BucharestArtitude Fetească Neagră–Cabernet Sauvignon–Merlot 2017
Buy
- −10% on 6 or more bottles of wine, the same wine or mixed: the discount appears in the cart by itself.
- Free home delivery by Nova Post courier on orders from 500 MDL.
- Pickup from a Nova Post branch is free.
FAQ
Do you make a dry red from Fetească Neagră alone?
No. The grape goes into KAVI sparkling, the rosés (Artitude Fetească Neagră Rosé, Goliard Rosé 2024) and the red blends Artitude Trilogy 2017 and Goliard Red Reserve 2017.
What kind of wine is KAVI?
A brut rosé sparkling wine from Fetească Neagră, harvest 2025, PGI Codru, made by the Charmat method. Serve at 6–8 °C.
Sources
- National Office for Vine and Wine (Wine of Moldova), “Enotourism Guide. Republic of Moldova”, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
- The Drinks Business, “Moldova’s National Wine Day turns 25”, 11 May 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Jamie Goode, wineanorak.com, “Moldova’s best wines, part 3: wineries D–G”, 27 June 2021 (opens in a new tab)
- Doina Vin’s awards (Awards page)
