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Băbească neagră (also Rară Neagră) is a red
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
- Moldovan
grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...
. It is cultivated in
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
in the regions of
Orhei Orhei (), also formerly known as Orgeev (), is a city, municipality and the administrative centre of Orhei District in the Moldova, Republic of Moldova, with a population of 21,065. Orhei is approximately north of the capital, Chișinău. Hist ...
,
Anenii Noi Anenii Noi () is a city in east-central Moldova, the seat of Anenii Noi District. It is located SE of the capital, Chișinău. According to the 2004 census, the city administers an area inhabited by 11,463 people. This area consists of the city ...
, Straseni, Ialoveni and in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
in the regions of
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
,
Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...
and
Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
. In Romania, it is the second most planted grape variety. It is also found in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, United States, where the grape is known as ''Sereksiya Charni''.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 75 Allen Lane 2012 The name Băbească neagră is derived from the
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
words meaning "old lady's black". Most wines produced from Băbească Neagră are light-bodied, fruity red wines. Being an old grape variety, Băbească neagră has demonstrated significant clonal variations including Copceac – a variation with bigger berries, Coada Rândunicii (Swallowtail) - a variation with a bisected bunch and Coada Vulpii (Foxtail) — a variation that has a cylindrical prolongation of the bunch. It has also produced over the years two
color mutations The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for ind ...
including a pink-berried mutation which is called ''Băbească gri'' in Romania and Sereksiya rose in Finger Lakes, and a white-berried mutation known as ''Băbească albă''.


History

Ampelographers Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of th ...
believe that Băbească neagră is a very old variety with the earliest mentioning of the grape dating back to the early 14th century. The name, in Romanian, translates to "Grandmother's black" and with the diverse and numerous clonal mutations (including the color mutations of ''Băbească Gri'' and ''Băbească albă'') seems to lend support to Băbească neagră's longevity. While the grape is grown through Romania and Moldova, the region most often associated with the being the birthplace of Băbească neagră is the
Nicorești Nicorești is a commune in Galați County, Western Moldavia, Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary ...
region of
Galați County Galați () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Moldavia region, with the capital city at Galați, between latitude, 45°25'N and latitude, 46°10'N latitude, longitude, 27°20'E and longitude, 28°10'E longitude. It borders the counties of Vaslu ...
in the eastern half of Romania that borders Moldova.


Viticulture

Băbească neagră is a late-ripening grape variety that is also a mid to late
budding Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is kno ...
vine which contributes to the grape's winter hardiness and resistance to the
viticultural hazards This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...
of early spring frost. During the cold Eastern European winters, Băbească neagră is able to withstand temperatures as low as . However, the very loose, medium-sized bunches of thin-skinned berries are very susceptible to the hazards of
botrytis bunch rot ''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" o ...
,
downy Downy, also known as Lenor in Europe, Taiwan and Japan, is an American brand of fabric softener produced by Procter & Gamble that was introduced in 1960. Brand history Lenor is a brand name of fabric softener and dryer sheets, also produced by ...
and
powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...
as well as drought during the
growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whi ...
. If yields are not kept in check by winter pruning and green harvesting, the vine can be very vigorous and prone to developing
millerandage Millerandage (or shot berries, hens and chicks and pumpkins and peas) is a potential viticultural hazard in which grape bunches contain berries that differ greatly in size and, most importantly, maturity. Its most common cause is cold, rainy or o ...
. While Băbească neagră has many different clonal mutations, like
Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...
and
Grenache Grenache (; ) or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry condi ...
, it also has two notable color mutations—a white-berried Băbească albă, and a pink-berried Băbească gri which are grown around
Huși Huși (, Yiddish//''Hush'', , German language, German: ''Hussburg'') is a municipiu, city in Vaslui County, Romania, former capital of the disbanded Fălciu County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, Romanian Orthodox Church, Romanian O ...
in
Vaslui County Vaslui County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km2. * Romanians - over 98% * Romani ...
.


Wine regions

Most of the plantings of Băbească neagră are found in Romania where, in 2008, there were in cultivation. Most of these plantings are in Galați County, particularly around the communes of Nicorești. Significant plantings can also be found around
Odobești Odobești () is a town in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. The town administers one village, Unirea. The town is located in the central part of the county, on the banks of the Milcov River, northwest of the county seat, Focșani F ...
in
Vrancea County Vrancea () is a county (județ) in Romania, with its seat at Focșani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov (Siret), Milcov River, is in Muntenia. Demographics At the 2021 Romanian census, 2 ...
and in the sandy
vineyard soils The soil composition of vineyards is one of the most important viticulture, viticultural considerations when planting grape vines. The soil supports the root structure of the vine and influences the drainage levels and amount of minerals and nutrie ...
along the
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
river which forms Romania's southern border with
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
and
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. Outside of Romania, the grape can be found in Moldova, Ukraine and the United States. Băbească neagră can be found on limited acreages in the
Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...
region of
New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
, where this variety was originally successfully cultivated by Konstantin Frank. Called ''Sereksiya Charni'' here (the
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
name), it is used by McGregor Vineyard to create an
aromatic In organic chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property describing the way in which a conjugated system, conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibits a stabilization stronger than would be expected from conjugati ...
, fruity red wine (called "Black Russian"), blended with
Saperavi Saperavi ( ka, საფერავი; literally "paint, dye, give color") is an acidic, teinturier-type grape variety native to the country of Georgia, where it is used to make many of the region's most well-known wines. It is also grown in ...
.


Moldova

In Moldova, Băbească neagră (also called ''Rară neagră'') is a late-ripening variety that gives red wines which are typically rich in acid and may exhibit a pronounced fruity character. It is responsible for the fame of the Purcari wines in the 18th century, before
Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
was introduced to Moldova. This variety is used as a main blend component in the Purcari wine, Negru de Purcari.


Styles

According to Master of Wine
Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...
, Băbească neagră tends to make pale, light-bodied, fruity red wines with notable
acidity An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...
and a characteristic sour cherry note. The pink-berried color mutation Băbească gri tends to produce minerally white wines with lime notes that persist on the finish.


Synonyms

Over the years Băbească neagră has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Aldarusa, Asil Kara, Asîl Kara (in the Republic of
Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
), Băbească, Babeasca, Babiasca niagra, Babiaska niagra, Bobiaska niagra, Bobyaksa nigra, Bobyaska nyagra, Căldărușă, Caldarusa, Chernyi Redkii (in Ukraine), Chernyl Redkyl, Ciornai Redchii, Crăcană, Cracana, Crăcănată, Cracanata, Crecanate, Goldaroucha, Grossmuttertraube, Hexentraube, Kaouchanskii, Koldaroucha, Koldarusha, Koldursha, Koptchak, Koptchakk, Krekanat, Krekanate, Racanata, Rară Neagră, Rășchirată, Raschirata, Rastopirka, Rastopyrka, Rastrepa, Rastreppa, Rastriopa (in Moldova), Redkyi Chernyi, Rekhavo Grazdi, Rekhavo Grozdi, Rekhavo Grozdy, Richkirate, Richkiriata, Riedkym, Rimtsurate, Rimtzourate, Rindsourata, Rishki Rate, Rossmuffertraube, Rostopiska, Rostopoveska, Rychkirate, Rymourate, Rympurate, Ryshkirate, Saesser, Sassep, Sasser, Serecsia, Serecsia Ciornaia (in Moldova), Serectia, Sereksia (in Ukraine), Sereksia Chornaya, Sereksiya (in the United States), Sereksiya Chernaya, Sereksiya Tschiornaya, Serexia, Serexia noir, Serexia Tcheurnaia, Sesser, Stropaty, Stropatyi, Tchernyi Redkii, Tcheurny Redky, Timofeevka, Tsotler, and Tsotlyar.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babeasca Neagra Red wine grape varieties Grape varieties of Romania