Muntenia and Oltenia Hills
Muntenia and its western neighbour Oltenia cover a large area south of Transylvania, in the foothills of the southern Carpathians. Overall, the Muntenia and Oltenia Hills region is largely devoted to red wine, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Fetească Neagră as the most planted varieties. However, white wines are also produced in the region: the area around Pietroasele, 99km northeast of Bucharest, produces sweet, late-harvest Tămâioasă (often botrytised) on its calcareous soil.
Muntenia is home to the renowned Dealu Mare DOC (lit. ‘big hill’), often referred to as ‘Romania’s Tuscany’. This large DOC – with circa 3,200ha of vines – stretches for about 65 kilometres, and is widely considered one of the most important in the country, producing both red and white still wines to wide international acclaim.
Viile Budureasca
Viile Budureasca, one of Dealu Mare’s most prominent producers, has won 500 international medals for its wines, which it exports to 23 countries. It has a diversified and great-value portfolio – recently expanded to include sparkling, organic and orange wines – with more than 20 ranges targeting all market segments. At the crossroads of tradition and innovation, Budureasca has a modern, New-World approach led by winemaker Stephen Donnely at the estate’s state-of-the-art winery. budureascawines.com
Domeniile Franco-Române
A Dealu Mare pioneer, Domeniile FrancoRomâne (DFR)was founded by Burgundian winemaker Denis Thomas in 2000. Identifying a terroir similar to Burgundy, Thomas set out to make ‘Romanian wines with a French touch’. Conversion to organic farming began in 2003, and in 2006 the winery produced the first certified organic wine in Romania. Today, DFR is under the ownership of the Olariu family, with Mihnea Olariu at the helm. The Olarius expanded DFR’s holdings by incorporating 40ha from the storied Domeniile Persu-Eminescu, an estate owned by Mihnea’s greatgrandparents, Alexandru Persu and Ecaterina Eminescu (granddaughter of eminent Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu), since the 1840s. dfr-wines.com
Aurelia Vișinescu
Before founding her namesake winery, with partner Steven Cacenco, in 2003 in Dealu Mare, oenology-trained Aurelia Vișinescu honed her craft working three vintages South Africa and Australia. Although this New World experience influences the style of her wines, she pairs it with a passion for her country’s winemaking history and local varieties. Aurelia Vișinescu pioneered the vinification of Fetească Neagră as a dry wine, actively contributing to the reassessment of the grape’s potential. aureliavisinescu.com
Davino
The famed Davino winery needs little introduction. Having started in 2003 as only the third private winery in Romania, Davino has consistently been among the country’s most highly regarded producers ever since. Produced from 88ha of vines, including 40-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Davino’s wines range from blends expressing terroir, single-varietal wines showcasing local grapes to the renowned Domaine Ceptura collection and the powerful, long-lived Flamboyant. davino.ro
DeMatei
With 70ha of vines – including plots planted more than 40 years ago – located around the hills of Tegăneanu and Zorilor, DeMatei is an acclaimed Dealu Mare producer known for the quality and ageworthiness of its wines hailing from old vines. It is well known among Romanians as the producer of Prince Matei, an iconic Merlot produced with fruit from the Villa Zorilor vineyard in Dealu Mare every year since 1998. DeMatei has also earned international recognition for its Migala and single-vineyard Patima ranges. www.domeniileprincematei.com
Ceptura
Ceptura Winery produced its first wine in 2005 following the reconstruction of its winery. Since then more than 7M € have been invested in sophisticated state-ofthe-art equipment. With 120ha of vineyards, Crama Ceptura’s winery is located in the Ceptura village, Prahova
County, in the heart of Dealu Mare. Armed with great international expertise, the estate produces a diverse and characterful range, from both local and international grape varieties, that fully express the uniqueness of the local terroir. crama-ceptura.eu
Viile Metamorfosis
The potential of Dealu Mare’s terroir has not gone unnoticed by foreign winemakers: including Piero Antinori, of the storied Italian winemaking dynasty. Antinori founded Viile Metamorfosis in 2008 with the aim of expressing the full potential of the local grapes and terroirs. It established Negru de Drăgăşani in the region, alongside other Romanian varieties such as Tămâioasă Românească, Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră. With 70ha of vineyards, the estate is attracting particular attention for its Via Marchizului single-vineyard range. viile-metamorfosis.ro
Sâmburești Vineyards
Sâmburești takes its name from the Sâmburul hill and the surrounding DOC, whose plum trees are a testament to its warm mesoclimate. Its origins date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Vintila Bratianu, a prominent Romanian aristocrat and politician, invited French oenologist August Joseph Ville to visit the estate. Sâmburești has since focused on Bordeaux blends following Ville’s advice to plant French noble varieties. In 2005, the Valvis family took over the estate, building upon its historical reputation while investing on modern equipment and extending vineyard holdings to a total of 500ha. www.samburesti.com
Oprişor Wine Estate
Located in Mehedinți county, in the heart of the Oltenian hills, Oprişor Wine Estate – owned by German group Reh Kendermann – grows a range of 13 local and international varieties in its 252ha of vineyards. Having bought and refitted a cellar dating from the 1970s with modern equipment, Oprişor nonetheless found a use for one of its enormous concrete tanks, which now serves as its tasting room. www.crama-oprisor.com