Just imagine it is the end of summer and you are on a vine-inspired adventure in Romania. My interest in Romanian wines was sparked after first meeting
Razvan Stoenescu, Romania’s #Winelover Ambassador at Digital Wine Communication
Conferences in Rioja, Spain and Monteaux, Switzerland. Naturally, once given the opportunity for a Spaswinefood
adventure in Romanian wine country I responded quickly. What follows is an overview of my recent visit, which was filled with great wines and food, and
amazing hospitality. Future posts will cover winery visits
and wine discoveries in Southern Romania, home to stunning castles and awesome wines.
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| Nearing Harvest Time, Avinics Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
Romania, one of the oldest viticultural regions in the world, has had a long tradition of wine making, dating back 4000 years. Like many Eastern European countries that
tradition was stifled under communist occupation. Romania was used to provide
cheap low quality wine to meet the demands of the Soviet Union. After the revolution
in 1989, the production of quality of wine making has become a primary focus. Today Romania
is an emerging star in the wine world. During my wine adventure in Southern Romania I
was introduced to white wines, with names like Fetească Alba, Fetească
Regala; and red wines like Fetească Neagră.
Vignettes from a Vine-inspired Adventure
A Land of Castles and Wine
After a restful weekend at the Diesel Hotel in Bucharest we headed to the mountains, stopping in Peles, Rhein Azuga, Bran Castle and Dambovicioara.
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| Land of Castles & Wine © Spaswinefood |
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| Bran Castle © Spaswinefood |
While at Bran Castle I could not help but notice the wine display in the gift shop.
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| Bran Castle © Spaswinefood |
During a stop at the historical Rhein Winery we enjoyed a Sparkling wine tasting and lunch.
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| Rhein Wine History © Spaswinefood |
After lunch we continued on into the mountains where we check into a small hotel for the night.
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| A Mountain Retreat, Dambovicioara © Spaswinefood |
During dinner that evening in Dambovicioara we tasted a number of wines.
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| Intro to Romanian Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Crama Oprisor, Zinfandel Alba 2015 © Spaswinefood |
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| Halewood Wines, Chardonnay 2014 © Spaswinefood |
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| Divinitas Fetească Neagră 2013 © Spaswinefood |
Next morning we continued to our first winery visit at Domeniul
Coroanei, Segarcea.
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| Epoch Restaurant, Craiova © Spaswinefood |
Dragasani Wine Country
Next day, it was onto Dragasani, stopping to
visit at Domeniile Mennini, which is know for its frizzante wines.
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| Domeniile Mennini, Stelle di Mari Rosé © Spaswinefood |
Lunch was at the Blue Window, Slatina was outstanding. It is worth finding this place just to dine.
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| Blue Window, Slatina © Spaswinefood |
That afternoon in the Dragasani wine country we visited three wineries Crama Bauer, Crama
Stirbey and Crama Avincis. Crama Bauer is a new winery right next door to Crama Stirbey.
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| Crama Bauer © Spaswinefood |
The wines here are unique. Try them if you get a chance.
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| Drama Bauer Wines © Spaswinefood |
At Crama Stirbey we were introduced to its rich, historical past and tasted another exciting lineup of wines. I loved this place, with its amazing hospitality and great views.
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| #Winelover Just Chilling © Spaswinefood |
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| Crama Stirbey Wines © Spaswinefood |
We were most fortunate to spend the night at Crama
Avincis, which is the perfect set-up for enotourists. At Crama Avinics our host was Ghislain Moritz, Oenologist. Here we toured the winery, vineyards and did a wine tasting.
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| Taking in the Views, Crama Avincis © Spaswinefood |
I would highly recommend Crama Avincis, as a place to stay. Moreover, given all the excitement in Dragasani, it is the wine region to watch.
Return to Bucharest
Next day on our way back to Bucharest we stopped at Vinarte Bolovanu. Here we were introduced to some premium Cabernet Sauvignon wines. These wines are quite special.
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| Vinarte Bolovanu © Spaswinefood |
Later that night in Bucharest we had dinner at Rocca by the
Jar Restaurant. During dinner we were introduced to Jidvei wines by Diana Pavelescu.
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| Diana Pavelescu, Jidvei Wines © Spaswinefood |
It was a delightful evening with #winelover friends.
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Jidvei Wines with Dinner © Spaswinefood
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Prahova Wine Country
Next morning it was off to Prahova where we visited Licorna
Winehouse and Domeniile Tohani.
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| Gabi Lăcureanu, Licorna Winehouse © Spaswinefood |
Our next stop was a tour of the stunning Domeniile Tohani with Marina Samoila. This was followed by a fabulous wine tasting of Domeniile Tohani wines over lunch at Ferma Dacilor.
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| Domeniile Tohani Wines with Lunch © Spaswinefood |
Yes, this is another must visit wine region. Domeniile Tohani will be opening a new hotel and restaurant in the near future.
After an exciting day in wine country, we returned to Bucharest. That evening over dinner
at La Mama Ateneu we explored wines, from two wineries, Liliac and Casa de Vinuri Cotnari.
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| Exploring Liliac and Casa de Vinuri Cotnari Wines © Spaswinefood |
Another amazing evening it was with Liliac and Casa de Vinuri Cotnari Wines.
#Winelover Hangout in Bucharest
On our last day in Romania, just after breakfast, we visited the Chirescu Corkscrew Museum, which houses the largest corkscrew collection in the world. This was followed by sparkling wine tasting in Piata Constitute.
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| Chirescu Corkscrew Museum © Spaswinefood |
Yes, after toasting with sparkling wine it was time to strike a pose.
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| Striking a Pose, Piata Constitute © Spaswinefood |
Next, we visited the Satului Museum. This ethnographic museum displays authentic houses from all parts of Romania.
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| Satului Museum © Spaswinefood |
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| Authentic House Display, Satului Museum © Spaswinefood |
Before the #winelover hangout at Corks Cozy Winebar (next door to La Mama Lipscani)
we had dinner and wine tasting of Davino and Serve wines at Crama Domneasca.
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| Crama Domneasca © Spaswinefood |
Yes, dinner with traditional Romanian food and good wines is impossible to beat.
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| Davino and Serve Wines © Spaswinefood |
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| Davino and Serve Wines © Spaswinefood |
Indeed Davino and Serve Wines were great hosts.
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| Davino and Serve Hosts © Spaswinefood |
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| Dining at Crama Domneasca © Spaswinefood |
#Winelover Hangout in Romania
What inspired me most about the #winelover hangout in Romania
was that it was a gathering of locals who love wine.
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| #Winelover Hangout, Bucharest © Spaswinefood |
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| #Winelover Hangout © Spaswinefood |
Meeting so many Romanian
#winelovers in one location that evening was indeed inspiring. Sadly, I had to leave early to
catch an early morning flight.
Yes, treat yourself to vine-inspired travels in Romania. While we had tasted Romanian wines on a number of occasions
prior to visiting Romania, nothing compensates for a first-hand experience in
country. The above itinerary was an awesome enotourism inspired adventure. I invite you to join me
in my travels in Romania and elsewhere at Spaswinefood. Special thanks to Razvan Stoenescu, George Wine, and all our new Romanian friends for being such wonderful hosts during Spaswinefood’s
vine-filled explorations.
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