Recognized as the brand grape variety of Cotnari wineyard, in Moldova, Grasă has a secular tradition that goes back to the period of Stefan the Great, one of the most famous Romanian rulers. Legends tell the story of Stefan’s visit to Alba Iulia, where Matei Corvin, the Hungarian king, was organizing a fastuous celebration. According to tradition, the two rulers exchanged gifts, and the only thing that Stefan asked for was a small sample of the local vine – he liked so much the wine that was being served to the guests, that he wanted to enjoy it also back in Moldova. The sample of the local vine that was being gifted to the Modavian ruler is thought to be the famous Hungarian Furmint, that, cultivated in the fertile soil of Cotnari, developed into a unique and spectacular local variety.

Grasa de Cotnari is known as a white sweet wine, with a velvety and sleeky taste that reminds us of honey, linden flowers and pears. The unique taste is given by the late picking of the grapes and by a noble rot that contributes to the accumulation of sugars – the rot perforates the berries’ thin skin, which leads to a quicker drying up and to high raisining. The wine has an alcoholic strength of 11,5% vol. – 12,5% vol. and a high sugar indicator, of approx. 300g/l.

Grasa de Cotnari is mostly associated with desserts and served at the end of a meal. It can be paired with cakes, pies, ice cream, pancakes, fruit salads, nuts or almonds.