Most Renowned Romanian Vineyards

 The wine is the healthiest and most hygienic drink, used to say Louis Pasteur, the world renowned French scientist. It is probably one of the rare says never changed by history and medicine.

Most renowned Romanian Vineyards

Many historians and botanists agree that the birthplace of vineyards and wine making must be searched in the old Tracia, partially covered by the today Romania; they also agree that vineyards are older than other branches of agriculture, dating back to impressive 8000 years ago. We have a good tradition here in Romania in producing good quality wines, as in developing a certain culture of wine drinking.

Drinking wine is not so simple. We have here in Romania a certain civilization and culture of wine

I do not wish to promote drinking, any misuse or abuse is really a danger for anybody's health. But everywhere in the world, with small differences due to the local culture, drinking one or more glasses of wine daily is socially accepted. As wine and beer are the only drinks accepted as food, we should further limit to these things only. Let's compare the event of drinking a glass of wine vs. drinking a glass of beer. The wine is no doubt stronger and has more to do with celebration and enjoying life. We really enjoy life here in Romania, and love to share it. Drinking a glass of wine is not so simple. Don't drink it if you are thirsty, never pair it with fast food. Evaluate it with all your  senses, trying to imagine all the work necessary from the grape to the drink in your glass. Watch it carefully, hear it, smell it and taste it. Listen to its secret story, it is a gift of God and of the people who cared about it.

Tasting wine in Romania can find place in some exotic places, e.g. in a former salt mine

A fabulous Romanian scientist and a great spirit, namely Grigore Moisil, used to say that any people is entitled to a glass of wine. After having drunk it, he turns to be another people. Really an endless circle, don't take it really!

This tradition and culture of wine is very useful in the today Romania, which is among the first ten producers worldwide. Older and newer vineyards are dotted all around is this fantastic country of us. No matter corner of city of Romania would you like to visit, you will find within at least 50 km a renowned vineyards, waiting for your visit. Take it, grab it, don't hesitate. No matter the season, take a walk inside the vineyard and feel the secret energy of the land. It is useful to follow it while tasting. This short visit is of course most interesting and spectacular in autumn, during vintage. And then start the tour of the bigger or smaller vineyards with their more or less secret cellars, and don't try to dry them out through finishing all the reserves. The locals are able to talk, and talk, and talk about their wines for hours and days, it is a show of it own.

Carul cu Bere/The Beer Car is one of the best restaurants offering wine tasting

Romania's biggest vineyard stretches on the spectacular hills from Panciu-Odobesti-Cotesti. Neverending surfaces, when the grape simply turns to monoculture with all the risks. Great landscapes, great views, great wines. Taste Galbena de Odobesti, Sarba, Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscat Otonel to get the spirit of the place.

Probably the oldest Romanian vineyard is Cotnari, producing the same wine since centuries. Already renowned in Middle Age, the sorts of Tamaioasa, Francusa or Grasa are still in use and production today, allowing a noble experience.

Much younger, but also huge and by no means worse is the vineyard from Murfatlar, enjoying an excellent soil and more sun than anywhere else in Romania. Best results are made here with Chardonay.

Other reputated names to remember: Valea Calugareasca, Samburesti, Niculitel, Teremia, Jidvei/Tarnave, Lechinta etc. Will come back with details soon, stay in touch and book a wine tour, or a Romanian Tour!

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Wine tours in Romania

If you are a wine addicted, as I am, or even only if you are only an occasional wine drinker, you are going to find Romania exceptionally. It might be turning to be your second adoptive country, as we have very good wines at competitive prices. 

The most significant Romanian vineyards

Wine culture has in Romania a convincing old tradition. Our forefathers, the Dacians , knew to wine and the complicate way to get it from grapes. They even became addicted, thus slow, lazy and not so good soldiers anymore. Our old rulers Burebista and Deceneu  decided than very brutally simply, yet unbelievable, to destroy the vineyards.

Nowadays Romania proudly sits among the first 10 producers worldwide, with a wine culture and civilization comparable with those from France, Italy or Spain. In a few regions of Romania (e.g. Vrancea, Murfatlar, Valea Calugareasca) the vineyards are simply turning to monoculture. Despite the huge problems of this sector, you can find excellent wines in Romania, and if by chance you meet a wine farmer, be sure that he is going to invite you to lunch or dinner, with the obligatory wine tasting.

Wine tasting in Romania in a special location, the former salt mine from Praid

If you are taking part at a Romania tour and have by chance the extra possibility to attend a wine tasting, don't miss it by any means. It is not very expensive, but really spectacular and rewarding, and usually doubled by a folklore show. There are more places where you can find these unique events, read above.

Much better if you come to Romania on a wine tour, but even under these circumstances I can make some differences. First of all, if you are a pair of lovers, keep in mind and always remember that you must drink totally different sorts of wine comparing with the situation of an old gentlemen traveling along. There are also interesting differences between the best wines for a man vs the best wines for a female!

A professional wine tasting in Romania

A few leading vineyards will make you enjoy the life so much more with their delicious wines. I already mentioned a few of them, but I am going to count them all again. Uniting them on more or less conventional travels you got a wine tour of course. More concrete details when I am going to propose you a Romanian wine tour. 

In the region of Vrancea (with the towns of Focsani, Panciu, Odobesti) you will meat a fabulous wine civilization. Ask about the delicious sorts and varieties Galbena de Odobesti, or Tamaioasa, aside the internationally better renowned Muscat Ottonel or Merlot. Go on the local fantastic Wine Road with many events taking place on every step. I will organize soon a biking trip along this Wine Road. Not far from Vrancea, find the vineyards from Pietroasa and Valea Calugareasca.

You must feel a sort of wine with all your senses, this is the secret of a conaisseur

Murfatlar by Constanta is also a very compact vineyard with good possibilities for tasting. Search the Chardonnay, this is the local hit.

Not far from the nice city of Iasi, find the traditional vineyards from Cotnari and Bucium, or even Husi a little further. Enjoy these wines in the vineyards or in the leading restaurants from Iasi.

In the west of the country, by Timisoara find Recas, a fabulous vineyard offering mainly red wines (Merlot, Cadarca etc)

In the very heart of Transilvania between Sibiu, Cluj, Brasov and Bazna find the Tarnava (Kokel) vineyard. As the climate is here cooler, the wines are consequently dried. Search for the restaurant Butoiul Sasului from Ganesti where you can find a few of interesting varieties of wine.

This is only the start of an outstanding discussion about the Romanian wines and Wine Tours, and I will present much more of them in the predictable future!

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Best Romanian Champagne and champagne based cocktails

If you are in Romania, a wine land after all, you are supposed to drink the Romanian wines, and I have been trying to convince you about their qualities since one year online and offline. There are for sure between the many Romanian wines something special for the ladies, younger or older. Nevertheless, the ladies don't give happy so easily, they need sparkling wines, they need Champagne.

You can find in Romania exquisite local sparkling wines, also known as Champagne. There are many legends  about champagne, one of them is simply fantastic: the french king Louis XIVth and his favorite glassware designer set the wonderful form of the Champagne cup based on the perfect breast of the fascinating Marie Antoinette.

The small town of panciu, also known as the town among the  vineyards

A good Romanian Champagne is Zarea, but a much better one is Panciu. Panciu lies 25 km away fro, Focsani, not far from Odobesti, on the Wine road as described before. The company Veritas lead by Mr Adrian Toma is a big wine producer, but also an important Champagne producer. Despite the huge marketing difficulties, which forced them to reduce production, they are still on the market. You can take part there to a wine tasting, while your beloved half can take part to a Champagne tasting (three sorts available). Believe me, it is better not to interfere during these very pleasant moments. Besides, it is the best possible foreplay! You can prove by yourself, and your wife will also be able to confirm, the Champagne from Panciu is better than Zarea, but very difficult to get in Romania. It is practically not to find in any supermarket, as the production is not big enough to cover the growing demand. Once there in Panciu, please use the opportunity to take more bottles with you, making your wife very happy!

general manager of veritas Panciu, Mr Adrian Toma, working in the caves of Stephen the Great

The General Manager Adrian Toma allows the bottles of Champagne to maturate one year long in the historic caves of Stefan cel Mare/ Stephen the Great. They do a good job there, let youself convince, don't need to believe me! The same Adrian Toma gave me a pic, remembering a legendary Champagne based cocktail, called Air Mail. When this cocktail was created at 1949 the Air mail was the fastest and safest way to send your letters; in the same way this excellent combination will tranfer you in another Universe. Nowadays we could name it rather email!

But, in order to be shortly and get the to the point, in the same way this cocktail does, take please 150 ml Brut Champagne; 60 ml golden rum; 1 spoon honey and 15 ml lime juice. Mix first in the shaker a few ice cubes, the lime juice, the rum and the honey. Pour this mix in a Collins glass, and don't dare to filtrate. Complete with the Champagne, and enjoy.

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Myths, legends and true facts from the wine history

The history of the mankind is also a history of wine, at least in the last 6000 thousands of years. Can't figure a party in the good old times without wines, good wines, and food. Can't imagine neither today a party without wines, or a sophisticated dinner without wines. Besides, if the sophisticated dinner is a romantic one, the wine makes the perfect excuse for him, but also for her.

I am sure that wines played  an important role in the history of mankind, much more important than a serious scholastic historian could imagine. E.g., Cleopatra made history not only with her nose, but also with the glass of wine for Marc Anthony. The Romanian medieval ruler Stephen the Great enjoyed a glass of wine at the right time, and there must be much more examples for the way of mixing wine and history. Think a little about Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt, and the abstinent Hitler, who could destroy the world and its good habits!

Drinking wine is much older than you think

An important fact: the oldest evidence of drinking wine date back in 5400 b.C and has been found in Zagros, Iran. Most probably, the wine has been produced in that area. For 5000 years the wine consumption was reserved to the upper class. The kings of Egypt and Mesopotamia served wines to the high ranking guests, showing their wealth. The rich people of antique Athens were labeled according the belonging vineyards! The Greeks, inventors of the civilization, started to do what we call today wine tastings. This good habit has been taken and refined by the Romans.

The Greeks found first wine tastings, but the Romans took over and developed further

Around year 500 a.C takes place the segregation of the Europeans in wine drinkers and beer drinkers, which continues up today. The wine became the favorit drink for the southern part of Europe, where the Roman occupation was tighter and the influences stronger. The Northern part of Europe, with the British Islands, are populated with Barbarians drinking beer. (Actually, the segregation is not so obvious anymore!).

Very close to the places where have been found the first traces of wine, emerged the Islamic belief, forbidding the wine!. There is a legend: two pupils of Mahomed had a strong argument after taking too much on bord. The Prophete, asking advice and guiding from the allmighty Allah, became the simpliest answer: "The wine is a Devil invention". Even the Christians took champagne (actually sparkling wine, to be more precisely) for a Devil invention! It happened when the people did not know what is Carbon Dioxide, a gas which can be found in any wine.

And this is a modern wine tasting, a contest!

Champagne has been created first around 1700, surely not by the Monk Dom Perignon. Some people say, it was simply an accident. Dom Perignon only had major contributions to the development of champagne, which became shortly the favorite drink of the women! Madame de Pompadour used to declare " Champagne is the only wine making a woman more beautiful after drinking a glass!" ( I would add: the woman becomes much more beautiful if her partner drinks the Champagne!)

And a last legend for today: a renowned French porcelain producer created the first champagne cup based on an extraordinary model: the breast of Marie Antoinette.

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The hidden secrets of wine tasting

Everybody, or almost everybody, likes a glass of wine in a selected company. It is not compulsory, that everybody becomes a professional wine taster or a somelier.

The main difference between a somelier and a normal trained wine taster, is the simple fact that the somelier needs to speak loud about his experience, and is able to do that, mastering the right vocabulary. Remember, every science is first of all a matter of vocabulary, as a craft is first of all a matter of skill!

But, let's go back to our glass of (Romanian) wine! If the wine comes in a glass, you might want to use a clarifying glass. Putting the wine in the clarifying glass is a spectacular part of the tasting, and many people don't understand the major importance of it. Thus the wine clarifies and simultaneously is airing, emphasizing its natural qualities. As nowadays most producers filter their marketed wines thoroughly, in many situations the clarifying stage is not necessary anymore, with only some exceptions, e.g. if you observe some sediments, or you taste a strong red old wine, which requires for sure clarifying.

Judging the color of a wine is the first step while wine tasting

Next time when you are going to taste a glass of light white wine, e.g Ottonel, Chianti or whatsoever, and the waiter intends to use the clarifying glass, tell him please to spare the effort, that wine simply doesn't require that method, and even doesn't support it.

So, one thing is clear, go to the next step: pour in the tasting wine, and please don't be impacient. Watch carefully the wine first, from longer or shorter distance. Observe the color, the tone, the shade and compare with other similar wines you tested before. Maybe this wine is particular, due to soil, climate, harvesting etc (terroir use to say the French). Incline the glass and observe how the wine humidifies the glass, and if it lets any traces. Observe continuosly the aspect and continuity of the forming pelicula. Smell the wine near the glass and by bringing the smell to you from the distance, with your hand.

On wine tasting always use a spittoon, no matter how difficult is it ot you.  Not using  means getting drunk very quickly

Lat, but not least, taste the wine. But never taste and swallow, experience it! Feel the liquid with all your tongue, and bear in mind that the tastes are only sour, sweet,salt with their tones. Anything else you might feel is again flavor/smell, coming from the nose which communicates with your mouth.

By the end, spit the wine, no matter how difficult is it to you.
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