"Romania makes wine", the organisers of the country's first joint stand at ProWein in Düsseldorf felt challenged to a good pinch of self-irony. The very modern, almost hermetically sealed stand with peepholes allowed some visitors to draw a comparison with Fort Knox . But at the same time, it attracted a lot of attention … It seems as if the “giant Romania” is about to wake up after decades of sleep. With its 7,000-year-old wine culture, many new wine bars, chic restaurants and speciality shops not only in the capital Bucharest the country with a population of 20m inhabitants is becoming more and more interesting for export-orientated producers. Their sales are growing by between three to five per cent every year.
Far from the still present Dracula kitsch cliché, Romania is undoubtedly one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Europe due to its landscape and cultural diversity. On both sides of the Carpathian arc with the Moldoveanu (2,544m) as the highest point, there is a total of eight wine-growing regions with very different climates: in the far west, near the border with Hungary and Serbia, lies the region Recas and Minis in the historical Banat, followed by Crişana and Maramureş further to the north, the Transylvanian Highlands (Transylvania), the Moldova with its world-famous UNESCO World Heritage monasteries, the climatically favoured Dobrogea with the Danube Delta and the Black Sea and in the south the ‘Danube Terraces’ and the hilly areas of Muntenia and Oltenia.
Indigenous grapes varieties
In harmonisation with EU standards a total of 33 DOC and 11 IGT areas are now registered.
Both the Banat and Transylvania were strongly influenced by German settlers:The so-called ‘Banater Swabians’ migrated from southern Germany and Lorraine at the time of Empress Maria Theresa while the ‘Transylvanian Saxons’ had already settled in the Transylvanian highlands since the end of the twelfth century. Both ethnic groups devoted themselves intensively to viticulture, which experienced a great blossom through them - until the regime of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu made it so difficult for them to stay, that they returned to the homeland of their forefathers from the 1970s in exchange for bounties from the federal government.
Many Romanians regret this very much today. Whereas in socialist era of the planned economy, a lot of Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay & Co. were planted, winegrowers today are once again focussing much more on the treasures of their own grape varieties, some of which have been cultivated for thousands of years. They are called Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Furmint, Cadarcă, Mustoasă de Maderat, Băbească Neagră, Muscat Ottonel, Grasă de Cotnari, Frâncușă, Șarbă, Plăvaie, Fetească Neagră or Busuioacă de Bohotin. In the hands of ambitious producers, they can be turned into very distinctive wines which need not be afraid of being compared with international varieties.
In addition, varieties bred decades ago such as Negru de Drăgăşani and Novac, which are also characterised by ‘wild’ flavours, away from the mainstream flavours. The most popular Romanian grape varieties are now (again) Fetească Regală and Fetească Albă with around 12,000 ha each, followed by Merlot (11,000), Welschriesling (6,800), Cabernet Sauvignon (5,300), Muscat Ottonel (5,100) and Fetească Neagră (3,300). Around 60% of Romanian wines are white wines. Thanks to the pronounced thirst of its inhabitants – the per capita consumption is 24.9 litres – with most of the pressed grape juice remains in the country. A modest export of 174,000 hl contrasts with 562,000 hl of imports, a considerable proportion of which come from the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, also known as Moldova.
”The wine industry in Romania is experiencing accelerated growth in both quality and diversity, while new trends towards sustainability and biodynamics are also gaining importance.“
Focus on Quality
Unlike in the seventies or eighties, where large companies introduced standardised mass-produced goods, neatly sweetened, as ‘Mädchentraube’ or ‘Königliche Mädchentraube’ to the markets of the north and thus ruining their image, today Romanian wine focuses on quality. Many millions of euros have been invested in vineyards and cellar technology. Everywhere new family businesses have been established.
‘The wine industry in Romania is experiencing accelerated growth in both quality and diversity, while new trends towards sustainability and biodynamics are also gaining importance’, summarises Marinela Ardelean from Wines of Romania and explains: "In 2023, we had the fourth-largest growth in wine production in Europe and ranked 12th in the world." Romanian producers - almost 500 wineries are active, but their number is steadily increasing- have recognised the importance of local grape varieties and are working to fully exploit their potential. "A lot of energy is also being put into integrating wine into the overall picture of local gastronomy and wine tourism, which I believe will make Romania an honourable and affordable destination in the coming decade," says Ardelean. Exciting prospects for wine lovers! Thomas Brandl
Since 2019, the number of Romanian wines registered with MUNDUS VINI has almost tripled. A total of 118 Romanian wines were registered for the Spring Tasting 2024, of which 46 wines received a gold medal and 25 wines a silver medal.
The vintages of the wines entered in the Spring Tasting were distributed as follows:
Vintage: Number
- 2023: 17
- 2022: 47
- 2021: 10
- 2020: 9
- 2019: 15
- 2018: 5
- 2017: 6
- 2016: 1
- 2015: 1
- 2009: 3
- o. A.: 4
The following four wines were honoured with Best of Show Awards:
Best of Show Romania red:
2020 Patima Dupa Matei Feteasca Neagra, Via Viticola
Best of Show Romania red in retail markets:
2022 Caloian Cabernet Sauvignon, Carl Reh Winery
Best of Show Romania white:
2022 Curious Parallel Feteasca Regala, SC Cramele Recas SA
Best of Show Romania white in retail markets:
2022 Grigorescu Feteasca Regala, SC Jidvei SRL
Find out more about the MUNDUS VINI winning wines
