Читать книгу The Danube Cycleway Volume 2. From Budapest to the Black Sea онлайн

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In the former Yugoslav countries the tendency is for white wine to be produced inland to the north in Slovenia, northern Croatia and Vojvodina (northern Serbia) while red wine comes mostly from the south and the coastal regions of eastern Croatia, southern Serbia and Macedonia. The Danube valley is a major white wine producing area in both Croatia and Serbia, with Croatian vineyards on the slopes of the Bansko Brdo ridge (Stage 6) and around Vukovar and Ilok (Stages 7 and 8). This wine region extends into the Serbian foothills of the Fruška Gora mountains (Stage 10), with further Serbian vineyards south of Belgrade. Principal varieties are Graševina (a local grape), Traminer and Italian Riesling. The main local red grape is Prokupac, but this is declining in favour of international grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Romania is the world’s ninth largest wine producer, but little is exported. Prior to the Second World War most of Romania’s wine came from eastern Moldavia, an area that was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945. The communist government replaced this lost acreage by planting state operated vineyards mainly in northern Wallachia, south of the Carpathians, which produced large quantities of cheap wine. Since the fall of communism many of these vineyards have been replanted with international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc to produce better quality wine. Some local grapes have survived, the most common being Fetească Neagră (used for roşu (red) wine), Fetească Albă and Fetească Regală which both produce alb (white) wine. Tămâioasă grapes (similar to Muscat) produce sweet wine. Cotnari is a sweet dessert wine very like Hungarian Tokay, made from Grasă grapes. The Danube passes close to two of Romania’s better quality wine growing areas: around Segarcea (30km north of Cârna, Stage 19) and in southern Dobruja near Lipniţa (Stage 26) and around Murfatlar (Stage 27). One problem with buying wine in Romanian bars and restaurants is that it is almost always sold by the bottle (750ml) or by litre carafe. It is impossible to buy wine by the glass.