TERROIR PROFILE
Cotnari
Cotnari – Continental
Romania's most famous origin: since the 15th century the slopes of Cotnari, Cucuteni and Hârlău have produced nobly sweet wines from four native varieties.
Climate, site & wine
Calcareous marl, loess and clay hold moisture, and the autumn climate favours noble rot. This produces the traditional off-dry and sweet whites of Cotnari with honey, quince and dried-fruit notes; botrytised grapes yield markedly less.
Grasă de Cotnari, Fetească Albă, Frâncușă and Tămâioasă Românească shape the style. Grasă is described as full-bodied and soft, Frâncușă adds acidity, Tămâioasă a muscat perfume. Dry versions are also common.
TERROIR PROFILE · Moldavian Hills
Cotnari Cotnari – Continental
Romania's most famous origin: since the 15th century the slopes of Cotnari, Cucuteni and Hârlău have produced nobly sweet wines from four native varieties.
SOILS
Marlbalanced, structured
Marl is a mix of limestone and clay — yields structured, balanced wines with acidity backbone.
Loessround, fruity, full
Loess stores water and nutrients. Wines tend to be rounder, juicier and fuller.
Loambody-rich, velvety
Loamy soils give wines volume and a soft, velvety mouthfeel.
Limestoneprecise, mineral
Limestone delivers tension, structure and a cooler, more mineral character.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
Continental climate on the Moldavian Plateau with cold winters and warm summers. Damp autumn mornings encourage noble rot, so grapes often stay on the vine until late October.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Hilly slopes in the north of the Moldavian Plateau near Cotnari, between roughly 200 and 400 m altitude. Vineyards lie mostly on south- and south-west-facing calcareous slopes cut by valleys.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Cadillac, Loupiac & Sainte-Croix-du-Mont
Bordeaux
96% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Cotnari is cooler → tauter fruit, leaner wines, more acidity (5 vs. 6).
Cérons
Bordeaux
96% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Cotnari is cooler → tauter fruit, leaner wines, more acidity (5 vs. 6).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 3 →This terroir's soils in the glossary