From Spaswinefood with love

—De la Sharon Parsons – participanta la sfârșitul lui august la #winelover hangout. Primele impresii despre România și vinurile sale.

—Just imagine it is the end of summer and you are on a vine-inspired adventure in Romania. 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.

     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.

Land of Castles & Wine © Spaswinefood

Bran Castle © Spaswinefood
While at Bran Castle I could not help but notice the wine display in the gift shop.

Bran Castle © Spaswinefood

During a stop at the historical Rhein Winery we enjoyed a Sparkling wine tasting and lunch.

Rhein Wine History © Spaswinefood
After lunch we continued on into the mountains where we check into a small hotel for the night.

A Mountain Retreat, Dambovicioara © Spaswinefood
During dinner that evening in Dambovicioara we tasted a number of wines.

Intro to Romanian Wines © Spaswinefood

Crama Oprisor, Zinfandel Alb 2015 © Spaswinefood

Halewood Wines, Chardonnay 2014 © Spaswinefood

Divinitas Fetească Neagră 2013 © Spaswinefood

Next morning we continued to our first winery visit at Domeniul Coroanei, Segarcea.

Domeniul Coroanei, Segarcea © Spaswinefood
The Domeniul Coroanei wine tasting was an exciting lineup of Romanian wines.

Domeniul Coroanei Wines © Spaswinefood

Domeniul Coroanei Wines © Spaswinefood

We returned for the night at the Bavari Hotel, Craiova. That evening we dined at the Epoca Restaurant. Craiova looked like a cute town to explore, if we were on a tight schedule.

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.

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.

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.

Crama Bauer © Spaswinefood
The wines here are unique. Try them if you get a chance.

Drama Bauer Wines © Spaswinefood
At Crama Stirby we were introduced to its rich, historical past and tasted an exciting lineup of wines. I loved this place, with its amazing hospitality and great views.

#Winelover Just Chilling © Spaswinefood

Crama Stirby Wines © Spaswinefood

We were most fortunate to spend the night at Crama Avinics, 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.

Taking in the Views, Crama Avinics © Spaswinefood
I would highly recommend Crama Avinics, 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.

Vinarte Bolocanu © 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.

Diana Pavelescu, Jivei Wines © Spaswinefood
It was a delightful evening with #winelover friends.

Jidvei Wines with Dinner © Spaswinefood

Prahova Wine Country
Next morning it was off to Prahova where we visited Licorna Winehouse and Domeniile Tohani.

Gabi Lăcureanu, Licorna Winehouse © Spaswinefood
Our next stop was a tour of the stunning Domeniile Tohani with Marina Samoila. This was at followed by a fabulous wine tasting of Domeniile Tohani wines over lunch at Ferma Dacilor.

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.

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.

Chirescu Corkscrew Museum © Spaswinefood
Yes, after toasting with sparkling wine it was time to strike a pose.

Striking a Pose, Piata Constitute © Spaswinefood

Next, we visited the Satului Museum. This ethnographic museum displays authentic houses from all parts of Romania.

Satului Museum © Spaswinefood

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.

Crama Domneasca © Spaswinefood

Yes, dinner with traditional Romanian food and good wines is impossible to beat.

Davino and Serve Wines © Spaswinefood

Davino and Serve Wines © Spaswinefood
Indeed Davino and Serve Wines were great hosts.

Davino and Serve Wines Hosts © Spaswinefood

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.

#Winelover Hangout, Bucharest © Spaswinefood

#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.

Sharon
August 2016
Bucharest, Romania
© Spaswinefood