Caracterwines
The wine culture

of Romania

Weinfelder in Rumaenien
When you talk about "great wines", you probably don't necessarily think of Romanian wines. The countries drive for quantity instead of quality impacted there image. In recent years, however, a profound change has taken place: Ambitious winemakers started to cultivate the noblest grape varieties in order to vinify outstanding wines with the ability to win numerous international awards. The Carpathians and coast of the Black Sea both have been able to achieve awareness from wine lovers, academics and professionals. Hopefully on the right track to be once more one of the greatest wine countries of the world.
Romania, like all other countries around the Black Sea, evolved with vines and has a wine culture that is thousands of years old. Archaeologists have proven Romania's wine culture, knowledge, and production to be at least 6,000 years old. Therefore, Romania one of the oldest wine-growing countries in Europe. In ancient times the Thracian wines, especially know for the richness and roundness, were well-known and even praised by Homer and Herodotus, who also described and wrote about the activity-rich wine trade around the Black Sea coast known today as Dobrudscha.
rumaenische Weingeschichte
rumänische sieben Bürger
In the 12th century the Siebenbürger Saxons, German settlers, had a noticeable influence on viticulture in Transylvania. In the middle of the 18th century Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, sent Danube Swabians to Romania. The regent was convinced that many parts of Romania provided a continental climate, fertile soils and other excellent conditions for the cultivation of vines.
And when Romania became governed and influenced by Russia, the state and economy were adjusted according to communist agenda. In 1948 most of the winegrowers were expropriated, the vineyards nationalized and in many cases replaced with fruit farms. In 1989, Romania experienced like the GDR and other Eastern Bloc states a political transformation. This resulted in the return of each agricultural land to it original private owners, which of course gave new hopes and a boost to Romanian viticulture. Investors from Italy, Germany, France and Austria, saw this opportunities and cooperated to built large wineries all over Romania.
Soviet-Union und Wein
Europa und Rumänien
Finally, the vines and vineyards were saved by the access into the EU in 2007. Generous subsidies were given in order to revive the viticulture in those regions where it had been abandoned. Simultaneously, three quality levels were introduced for Romanian wines: Vin de Masa (table wine), Vin cu Indicatie Geografica (IGP) and Denumire de Origine Controlata (DOC). Nowadays, Romania's total vine area takes up approximately 250,000 hectares, putting the country's vine cultivation on the fifth place in Europe (right after Spain, France, Italy and Portugal).
Almost two thirds of the vineyards include white grape verieties. Especially outstanding are the wines from Transylvania, since they are fruity and mild with a well-integrated acidity, comparable to Alsatian wines. Furthermore, more than 100 gold medals confirm the excellence and quality of the white wines produced in Tarnave. This Region is the most important and oldest cultivation region in Transylvania and located in the centre of Romania. Dobrogea cultivates and vilifies also some impressive white wines, which are especially known for their fruity aromas.
Weisswein und Trauben aus Rumänien
The red and white wines from Moldova, which is the largest and most important wine region since the medieval ages, count as one of best in the country. Wine experts from all over the world become more aware of the wines especially from this region. Specifically the white wine Grasă de Cotnari has raised awarness. Wallachia, which is divided into the regions Muntenia and Oltenia, mainly produces intensive and sweet red wines. Dealu Mare on the other hand, located at the tip of the Carpathians is one of Muntenia's, produces some of Romanias best wines.
Rumänische Anbaugebiete und Appellationen
In general, approximately 80% of all Romanian wines come from the three wine regions Muntenia, Moldova and Oltenia. Oltenia for example offers some first-class Merlots and Cabernets as well as some very elegant wines made of the indigenous grape variety Feteasca Neagra or Tamiîoasa Romanesca. Banat, the smaller wine region of Romania, is known for sweetish red wines with aromas of velvety berries. Dobrogea (Dobrudscha) on the other hand is a wine region benefiting from the Mediterranean climate around the coast of the Black Sea. They are especially known for their dessert wines of Murfatlar.
Rumänische autochthone und einheimische Weintrauben
Romania has a large variety vines, but seems to return to its autochthonous grape varieties. For example, their white wines are mainly produced with the following grape varieties: Fetească Alba, Fetească Regală, Frâncușă and Grasă de Cotnari, Tămâioasă Românească, Crâmpoșie, Zghihară de Huși, Șarbă, Plăvaie and Mustoasă de Măderat. Their indigenous red grape veritie, which thes cultivate are Băbească Neagră, Fetească Neagră, Busuioacă de Bohotin and Negru de Drăgășani. Foreign varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah as well as Silvaner, Chardonnay, Traminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris.
Text researched and developed by Charlotte Münch. © Copyright & all other rights and/or licenses of texts on weinstore24 belong to caracter.tv.