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Grasă de Cotnari

The white grape variety originates from Romania. The Romanian name means "fat of Cotnari" and the Hungarian name Kövérszőlő means "fat grape", referring to the large berries. Synonyms grouped alphabetically by country are Dicktraube, Resser, Ressertraube, Sicktraube (Austria); Armas, El Grasz, Gras, Grasz, Grasă, Grasă Crocantă, Grasă de Cotnar, Grasă di Cotnari, Grasă Galbena, Grasă Mare, Grasă Mică, Grasă Verde, Grasi, Grassa, Grassa Mare, Grassa Mica, Poamă Grasă, Som (Romania); Bajor, Fehér Kövérszőlő, Fehérszőlő, Fejérszőlő, Furmint, Kövérszőlő, Pataki (Hungary). The very old variety is probably identical with Fehérszölö mentioned in the Tokaj region. The ampelographer Hermann Goethe (1837-1911) mentioned it under Kövér Szöllö already in 1876 and mentions Transylvania as its origin.

Grasa de Cotnari - Weintraube und Blatt

In Romania, the three morphologically somewhat different varieties Grasă Crocantă (crunchy berries), Grasă Galbenă (yellow berries) and Grasă Verde (green berries) are described; this biological diversity indicates a Romanian origin. This is also supported by genetic relationships with the Romanian varieties Fetească Albă and Fetească Regală. Due to morphological similarities (especially leaves), it is often confused with the Furmint. Grasă de Cotnari was a crossing partner in the new variety Columna. The vine is very susceptible to botrytis and therefore virtually predestined for noble sweet wines. It is also susceptible to downy mildew, but quite resistant to frost and drought. It produces greenish-yellow to golden-yellow wines with a nutty aroma, high alcohol content and low acidity.

In Romania, the variety is mainly cultivated in the Moldava region and in the Carpathian foothills. It is used to make the famous sweet wine Cotnari. It is mainly used in blends with the Tămâioasă Românească variety. The Romanian vineyard area totals 571 hectares, with a downward trend. In Hungary, it is one of the official varieties for the aszú production of Tokay on 49 hectares. In South Africa, it is cultivated on 13 hectares. In 2016, a total of 632 hectares of vineyard area were reported with a slight downward trend (Kym Anderson statistics).

Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012.
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)

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