Variety
WhiteFrâncușă
Also known as: Frîncușă
Cotnari's acid provider: light, crisp whites with green apple and meadow herbs – vinified dry on its own or as the fresh counterpoint in the nobly sweet Cotnari blend.
Portrait
Frâncușă is a white grape originating from the Cotnari wine region in Iași county in Moldavia. There it traditionally plays the role of acid provider: it is made dry or serves in the nobly sweet Cotnari blend as a fresh counterpoint to the heavy, honeyed components. Outside Cotnari and Moldavia it plays no role; its parentage is not documented.
The wine is dry and pale to greenish-yellow. Freshness and good, taut acidity are characteristic; the aromatics are restrained, showing green apple and meadow herbs. In Romania Frâncușă is regarded as easily recognisable by this fresh, crisp character. As a varietal wine it is light and meant for young drinking.
Dry Frâncușă pairs with light starters, salads, fish and fresh cheese.
Taste profile
Six axes — acidity, sweetness, body, tannin, aroma intensity and depth — on a 0–5 scale, based on typical style. Real wines vary by region and producer.
Typical aromas — Frâncușă
These 4 aromas typically define Frâncușă. Actual taste experience varies by region and style.
Green apple
Lemon
Meadow herbs
Flint
Frâncușă aroma families
These aroma categories are characteristic of Frâncușă. Other varieties have different focuses.
Fruit aromas are the most common and come directly from the grape, ranging from citrus through stone fruit to black berries.
Herbal aromas can be finely aromatic (sage) or grassy – a stylistic feature in some varieties, ripeness indicator in others.
Mineral notes are considered terroir-typical, emerging from soil, acidity and pH.
Key regions
Frâncușă is grown in the following regions of our atlas. Click to see wineries.
Wineries with Frâncușă
2 curated profiles in our atlas grow Frâncușă.
2 wineries