white grape · regional staple
Fetească Regală
Transylvania, Romania
Say it
feh·tyahs·kuhreh·gah·luh
The Romanian diphthong 'ea' sounds like 'ya' in 'yard'; final 'ă' is a mid-central schwa; stress falls on the penultimate syllable in both words.
On the palate
How you spot it blind: Intensely floral with acacia blossom and elderflower over crisp green apple
The story
First written down · c. 1920, Daneș, Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania
DNA profiling confirmed it as a natural crossing of Grasa de Cotnari and Feteasca Albă arising spontaneously around 1920 in a Transylvanian vineyard, making it one of the few modern varieties with a documented discovery site and named originator (nurseryman Gașpari).
Family tree: Grasa × Feteasca alba
Where it lives
Târnava Valley, Romania · Dealu Mare, Romania · Republic of Moldova