Romania – A journey to where the future unfolds


In partnership with Wines of Romania


Vines are grown in just about every corner of Romania, a testament both to the diversity of the country’s landscapes, mesoclimates and terroirs, and to wine’s central place in Romanian culture. Discover this fascinating tapestry and get to know the producers representing each of the regions and DOCs at Prowein 2024.

Credit: Maggie Nelson

Transylvania Plateau

It’s not hard to see why Transylvania’s fairytale scenery and rustic charm have captured so many imaginations. Its historic castles, gothic hotels and picturesque cottages, set among fields still worked with donkeys, make it an alluring holiday destination for travellers seeking a trip back in time: brown bears and wolves still roam its dark forests.

For wine growers and producers, Transylvania Plateau also offers many attractions. Sitting on a high central plateau, ringed by the horseshoe-shaped Carpathian mountains, the region has over 6,000ha under vine. Its altitude (up to 500m above sea level) makes the area cooler than many parts of Romania – a factor that explains the historical focus on white grapes. Late ripening and cool climate varieties thrive here; Feteasca? Regala?, Feteasca? Alba?, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Feteasca? Neagra?, Pinot Noir are the most planted.

Among its most important appellations are Jidvei DOC, Lechint?a DOC and Ta?rnave DOC, where the cooling effects of its 300m elevation are compounded by two nearby rivers (Ta?rnava Mica? and Ta?rnava Mare).

Jidvei

Based in the DOC of the same name, Jidvei is a key Transylvanian wine producer for both its history and its size. The company has 2500ha of vineyards, aged 4-20 years old, making it Romania’s largest vineyard holder and one of the biggest in Europe under single ownership. Founded in 1949 and privatised in 1999, Jidvei has become a beacon of innovation and education by introducing cutting edge technology and creating the first private school of viticulture and oenology in Romania. Jidvei owns Romania’s first – and one of Europe’s largest – gravity wine cellars, Crama Tauni.

Liliac

Although a relative newcomer, Liliac has quickly established an impressive reputation in Lechint?a DOC since releasing its first vintage in 2011. Liliac has pioneered red wines in the region, as well as experimenting with recioto styles and producing Romania’s first orange wine. This innovative approach extends to its sustainable viticultural practices: bats (‘liliac’ in Romanian), are encouraged through nesting boxes in the vineyards for natural pest control.

Cris?ana and Maramures?

Northwest of Transylvania, the region of Cris?ana and Maramures? is home to two DOCs: Minis and Cris?ana, and can be considered Romania’s sparkling wine heartland. The region has seen centuries of cultural interchange with neighbouring Hungary, whose viticultural traditions have been an important influence. The climate is more continental than in other parts of the country, and soils range from volcanic to shale, limestone, gravel, clay and iron oxide. Autumns are long and warm, extending the growing season, and thus producing grapes of particular balance and aromatic complexity. As well as local varieties Feteasca? Alba? and Feteasca? Regala?, varieties grown in the region include Hungarian Furmint, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. In the Apuseni mountains in the region’s southeast, more than 200,000 tourists per year venture into the famous Bears’ Cave to see some of the best-preserved skeletons of the cave bear, extinct since the Ice Age.

Darabont Winery

Darabont Winery (Familia Darabont), based in Cris?ana DOC, has been family-owned for three generations. Vinifying only its own grapes, Darabont manages over 40ha of vineyards, on a variety of limestone, clay and loess-dominated terroirs, with a focus on precision viticulture, sustainability and innovation.

Moldovan Hills

In Romania’s east, to the north-east of the…


Source : https://www.decanter.com/sponsored/romania-a-journey-to-where-the-future-unfolds-523368/

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