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Cramele Recaș: Sole’s white vs. skin-fermented processes
A producer making wine in Banat, western Romania. At Sole, they produce Fetească Regală whites typical of the region, as well as orange wine from multiple grape varieties, selecting grapes and winemaking methods for each product individually.
Compare Sole Fetească Regală 2025 and Sole Orange 2024. They differ not only in grape varieties, but also in the use of skins and fermentation vessels.
Questions for this course
Does the figure 30% for orange wine refer to grape variety proportion?
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To explanation task notes ↓Cramele Recaș / Learning from producers
Romania / Banat / Recaș
Other names & notations: Cramele Recas / レカシュ
Update date: 2026-09-24
White wine fermented after pressing.
Sole Fetească Regală is a white wine made by settling and removing lees after pressing, followed by cold fermentation. It is then aged in barrique. The product name Fetească Regală refers to the grape variety.
Orange from ‘Sore’ made with skins
The 2024 label of Sole Orange lists Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, and Sauvignon Blanc. Since it is clearly stated that the blend varies by year, do not apply this list to other vintages.
What are the denominators for 30% and 70%?
The explanation of Sole Orange states that 30% is fermented with skins in amphorae, and 70% is fermented in stainless steel. These percentages refer to the division of fermentation vessels. The blend ratios of the three varieties are not specified, so the 30% cannot be allocated to a specific grape variety.
Fermentation period and aging period.
Fermentation with indigenous yeasts is said to take about three weeks in amphorae and about two weeks in stainless steel. The periods are not the same in both containers. These two numbers should not simply be added together to get the total maturation period for the wine.
What to align and what to compare.
Raw material
- Conditions to standardize
- Sole from the same producer
- Conditions for comparison.
- Grape variety and vintage
- Additional points to confirm
- Do not treat the differences as only due to variety.
Skin
- Conditions to standardize
- Made from white grapes
- Conditions for comparison.
- Fermentation using the juice and skins after pressing
- Additional points to confirm
- Confirm the stage involving contact
Proportion
- Conditions to standardize
- The same orange wine.
- Conditions for comparison.
- Two types of vessels
- Additional points to confirm
- Do not convert to blend ratio
Order of reading and key points to consider in each article
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READ · HYPOTHESIZE · RECONSIDER
Cramele Recaș document analysis: Sole’s white vs. skin-fermented processes
Verify the subjects of the ingredients, processes, and sources, and confirm the conditions for comparison.
Documents with a specified vintage are read as examples for that year. Explanations with no specified vintage are not generalized to represent all years or all shipments.
| Comparison items | Sole Fetească Regală 2025 | Sole Orange 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Grapes | Fetească Regală | Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, Sauvignon Blanc |
| Process | Cold fermentation after racking the pressed juice. | Fermenting a portion with skins in amphora |
| Container information | Barrique aging after fermentation. | Fermentation: 30% amphora, 70% stainless steel |
| Information on period | Here, do not compare month counts. | Fermentation: about 3 weeks / about 2 weeks |
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Read the explanation for each question
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30% and 70% refer to what proportion?
The official explanation says 30% is amphora and 70% is stainless steel. This is not a blend of grape varieties.
What is the fermentation period indicated by amphora?
About 3 weeks refers to the fermentation process. For stainless steel, it is about 2 weeks, so the duration varies depending on the vessel.
Can you use the 2024 grape variety list for the following year?
The producer notes that the composition of grape varieties changes each year. Even if the product name is the same, confirm the specifications separately.
Basis and sources for the exercise
Practice exercises in comparison
Match up the raw materials, vineyard, and process from the documentation, and explain which conditions are constant in the comparison and which ones vary.
Read examples of organizing comparisons
| Conditions for Comparison | Sole Fetească Regală 2025 | Sole Orange 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Grapes | Fetească Regală | Chardonnay, Muscat Ottonel, Sauvignon Blanc |
| Process | Cold fermentation after racking the pressed juice. | Fermenting a portion with skins in amphora |
| Container information | Barrique aging after fermentation. | Fermentation: 30% amphora, 70% stainless steel |
| Information on period | Here, do not compare month counts. | Fermentation: about 3 weeks / about 2 weeks |
Sources of materials used for comparison are listed in the text and exercises.
Explain in your own words
Explain which containers and processes correspond to 30%/70% and approximately 3 weeks/approximately 2 weeks in Sole Orange.
Check after writing
- Did you distinguish the proportion of container and grape varieties?
- Did you add up the number of days?
- Did you retain the differences in year and variety when comparing?
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