Albastrele Blanc de Cabernet (light colored) and my Virginia White Cabernet Sauvignon

We tasted two white Cabernet Sauvignons with friends from Moldova. They brought a 2012 Blanc de Cabernet from Albastrele Winery in Moldova. Our second white Cab was a 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon that we made with grapes from Virginia. Both wines had one similarity, the vintage. After that they were completely different.

The 2012 Albastrele Blanc de Cabernet was a light yellow color. The aroma and taste reminded me of a Sauvignon Blanc although the description of the wine is one made with red Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The aroma offered tropical fruits and citrus. The taste also had citrus and some tropical fruits and there was also a subtle influence of red berry fruit such as strawberries and red raspberries. The finish was crisp. This light-bodied wine was dry with medium-high acidity. The wine sells for $12.99 at The Wine Cabinet in Reston, Virginia. We drank the wine as an aperitif.

According to the Albastrele website, a unique method was used to extract the juice from the skins. The juice was then fermented. The light color is the lightest colored white Cabernet Sauvignon that we have tried. In contrast, the white Cabernet Sauvignon that we made from Virginia fruit was orange-colored.  We too began fermentation after the juice was extracted from the skins. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were destemmed. From the destemmer they were put into a large bin. Since some of the grapes broke open during the destemming, we were able to gather some juice. We then fermented the juice. When the fermentation began, the juice was a dirty light yellow color. After fermentation the wine was a light orange color.

The Virginia white Cabernet Sauvignon was less aromatic. It did have hints of red berry fruit including strawberries. The taste also emphasized strawberries more than the Albastrele white cab. The medium-bodied wine was dry with medium acidity. This wine was paired with grilled pizza that had tomato, basil and parmesan cheese topping.

It is always interesting to try two similar wines from different producers. In this case the two cabs were very different and it was easy to contrast them.

About Albastrele Wines

Albastrele Wines was one of the first privately owned wineries in the Republic of Moldova. The company has 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of vineyards. The vineyards are located in the central and southern areas of Moldova and are at the same latitude as the Burgundy region of France. The climate is continental offering mild winters and hot summers.

Albastrele produces a variety of wines including: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Blanc de Cabernet, Lancellotta, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, Muscat and Traminer. Wine styles vary between dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet. They also produce a sparkling wine, Cuvee Aleksandr.

Website: http://albastrelewines.com

Cheers,
Terry