Jidvei Vineyards

The Târnave Vineyard is the largest in Transylvania, gathering the vigor of the vine planted between the rivers Târnava Mare and Târnava Mică. It is located inside the triangle formed by the localities Blaj, Sighişoara, and Bălăuşeri.

Vine cultivation has millennial attestations and the twinning of different nations (Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons) has led both vine cultivation and wine production to develop techniques and skills with amazing results. Considered to be the second motherland of the Traminer, Târnave Vineyard owes this fact to the massive colonization in the second half of the thirteenth century with Saxons from the Mossel – Rhine Valley, who founded Seiden (the German name for Jidvei). The first agricultural unit with wine-growing profile of great proportions was founded in 1949 and has developed continually, and as of the 2000s has a cultivated area of approximately 2000 hectares. The 1999 privatization of the wine-growing and fruit-growing sector and of the cellars offered the Târnave Vineyard new opportunities of development and affirmation of its capacities which led to increase exports and domestic sales.

The vineyard is spread on a surface of about 2000 hectares (with around 250 hectares renewed every year) and it is situated at an altitude between 200-500 meters, with most of the vineyards set on southern exposure slopes, which makes the sun rays and atmospheric circulation to favor vine cultures. The land benefits of a continental-plateau type climate with an average temperature of +9 C (January -4 C, July +18 C). The moderate temperature during the grapes' maturing period determine slow oxidation reactions, helping to a continual accumulation of sugars and aromas and to a not so accentuated reduction of acidity. The soils are divided into three categories: forest brown, forest brown with different degrees of podzolisation and river-bank soils, all three types of soil enabling vine cultivation.

The wines of the Târnave Vineyard provide a perfect blend of acid, alcohol and flavor. They seem to have gathered together the strong fragrance of pine resin, the smell of lime blossom, and the transparency and sweetness of acacia honey. Jidvei vineyards produce white wine and special sparkling wine. The sparkling wine is the Romanian equivalent of champagne (do not mistake it with the frothy wine). The positioning of wines is as high quality ones, with denomination of controlled source (DOCC) and levels of quality.

The wine sortiments produced here are Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Muscat, Dry Riesling, Fetească Regală, Muscat Ottonel, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling Târnave Castle and other, all awarded with over one hundred of medals at the most prestigious wine contests.

Source.
Official webpage.

Drăgăşani Vineyards

Drăgăşani is a city in Vâlcea County, Romania, near the right bank of the Olt river. The city is well known for the vineyards on the neighboring hills that produce some of the best Wallachian wines.

Inter-war coat-of-arms of Drăgăşani

Drăgăşani Vineyards have a history rooted deeply and intermingled with the history of the Geto–Dacians, 3000 years ago. Many documents from the time of Voivodes (ruling prices) Mircea the Elder (1386-1418), Vlad II Dracul (1436-1447), Vlad IV the Monk (1481-1495), Radu the Great (1495-1508), etc. all show that the history of this area is marked by culture of vine and wine production. The Vineyards were owned by Banii (rulers of Oltenia) Craioveşti and Buzeşti brothers (well-known family of Oltenian noblemen). Since the 18th century, the owner of the vineyards was the family of Prince Ştirbey. After the fall of Communism, the vineyards were claimed by Ileana, the granddaughter of Princess Maria Ştirbey and restored since 2001.

Barbu Ştirbey (1796-1869), ruler of Wallachia (portrait by Ioan Negulici)

Ştirbey Wines - synonymous with outstanding quality - were well known and appreciated in Romania and all over Europe. Together with his husband, Baron Jakob Kripp, the heir of Princess renovated the vineyards and installed state-of-the-art wine making technology, yet still preserving the gentle and attentive old traditions of vintners and intending to guide this tradition to a new renaissance. Their most important objectives are: furthering indigenous grape varieties and their specific characteristics, rediscovery of the regional "terroir", natural vineyard maintenance, gentle and clean grape processing in the wine cellars, use of modern wine making technology only where absolutely necessary.

The vineyards in the early 20th century

Many plantations slopes of three rows of hills parallel with river Olt, being situated on brown and brown-reddish forest soils, some of them medium podsol, rich in limestone, situated on alluvial gravel. The Drăgăşani Vineyards, with the most important terroirs at Amărăşti, Cerna, Sâmbureşti, Guşoeni, Zăvideni, Prundeni and Iancu Jianu are situated on low altitude hills. Until the phylloxera epidemic (1890), Drăgăşani wines were obtained from old indigenous grapes Gordan, Crâmpoşie, Braghină and Tămâioasă Românească. Tulburelul de Drăgăşani is a popular wine made from a blend of the above grape varieties, has been enjoyed for many centuries. Some of the most sought after grape varieties in Europe are currently grown in this vineyard. Long-term success at international competitions confirms the reputation of wine from this region.

The vineyards now

Wines from Drăgăşani, on occasion of universal expositions from Paris (1867, 1889, 1900), at expositions from Milano (1908) and from Gand (1912), received gold medals and honor diplomas, to which are added the 300 medals, among the most brilliant ones, obtained in the period 1959-2006, on occasion of great national and international contests from Montpellier, Ljubljana, Freiburg, Tbilisi, Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest and so on.

Ştirbey Manor, a place for wine tasting

Tonic, lightly acid, slightly frothy and having a long-lasting flavor, the wines of Drăgăşani have become popular outside Romania’s borders following world recognition. Today, one can still find here old Romanian vine seedlings, but also Italian Riesling, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Fetească Regală (a dry white wine which keeps its yellow–greenish color for a long time; moderately alcoholic, the wine is remarkable for its non-aggressive acidity), Romanian Tămâioasa (a glory of Drăgăşani vineyard, that holds an honorable place in the range of the Romanian flavored white wines) are produced here. Tasting the white, red and rosé wines, we invite you to experience the traditions of Prince Ştirbey's Wines, as well as the perfumes and tastes from the yet undiscovered nature of Romania.

Murfatlar Vineyards

Blessed with one of the most suitable natural settings, Murfatlar Vineyard is situated in the Southeastern part of Romania, between the Danube and the Black Sea, in the center of the Dobrodja plateau. The vineyard stretches across a surface of more than 3000 ha, covering the villages of Murfatlar, Valul lui Traian, Poarta Albă şi Siminoc. Several elements as: the continental climate, diverse territory the vineyard covers, a sheltering effect against the cold currents coming from the North-East, and the unique and extremely favorable influence of the Black Sea that results in less aggressive summer heat and less frosty winters, offers Murfatlar Vineyard the perfect micro-climate to produce a large variety of quality wines.


For ages, vine growing has been the basic occupation of the people in Dobrodja, and those at Murfatlar are proudly aware they carry on a very long tradition. Scythia Minor, the Roman appellation of the region, was best known as a vine growing region. The wine obtained here was often used as trade currency by the local population and the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast. Written testimonies on wine making were also left by the celebrated poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC - 17 AD), exiled at Tomis (9-17 AD) by the Roman Emperor Augustus.


In 1907, were planted Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Muscat Ottonel and Folle Blanche assortments at the the initiative of two Romanian specialists. The core of what was about to become the most prestigious and best known Romanian vineyard was established at the beginning of the century along with the noble West-European assortments planted on Romanian soil. In 1943, Murfatlar Vine and Wines Research Site was created. The range of wine assortments was extended to Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer Rose, Italian Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. In 1955, the vineyard was consolidated and expanded to a surface of about 2600 ha, by the including of Murfatlar State Entreprise. Gradually, the wines produced at Murfatlar became highly appreciate both on the local and the international market, the enterprise becoming the leader of Romanian wine producing. In 2000, a group of Romanian private investors became the major share holder.

Photo by sonjabgd

The extensive vineyards and wineries are located in conditions similar to southern France and California. Over 300 days of sunshine, along with cool breezes from the sea, make this area ideal for the production of sweet dessert wines, but soft, rich red wines are also produced here. At wine contests all along the world, the Murfatlar wines were awarded no less than 350 golden medals. (from Murfatlar)

Cotnari Vineyards

Cotnari is a commune in Iaşi County, region of Moldavia. It is located north-west of Iaşi and south of Hârlău, in a major wine-producing region of Romania, and is famous for some wine varieties.


Proofs of habitation in the area go back to the Cucuteni culture; a fortress dating from the 5th or 6th century BC was discovered on the nearby Cătălina Hill (nowadays a nature reserve). It seems that the vineyard have been known since times immemorial. In this area there have been dug out wine cups of the Cucuteni-Tripolie as well as Cătălina and Băiceni civilizations, from the Getic-Dacian epoch. Likewise, Middle Ages Moldavian wine cups and vessels date the old vocation of wine making in the area. Cotnari was first attested in 1448. The establishment of vineyards is attributed by local tradition to an initiative of Moldavian Prince Stephen the Great, under whose rule the village rose to the status of alternate residence, while stone structures and roads to serve the wine trade were built in the area.


The name Cotnari originates from the words “cotitul butoaielor” (“hollowing the barrels”). In 1599 there were 3,500 “smokes” (houses) in Cotnari and the place was one of the largest boroughs of Moldavia, after Suceava and Bacău. Beginning with the latter half of the 16th century, the vineyards started to be parceled out and the population of the settlement decreased more and more, so that in 1832 there were only 230 houses in the borough. Phylloxera gave the finishing stroke to Cotnari in 1891 when, as an ultimate measure, there were cut all the vineyards. In the 19th century, the local vines (Grasa, Feteasca, Tămâioasa, Frâncuşa) were engrafted on American mother plants that were resistant to Phylloxera. This is, in fact, the rebirth of the Cotnari vineyard.


This vineyard is the only one in Romania that has not altered the autochtonous sorts of vine, after the invasion of Phylloxera. At present, the company Cotnari S.A. holds an area of 1316 ha vineyards, of which 1200 ha are in bearing, and the rest consists of young plantations. In the Romanian wine growing landscape, Cotnari is unquestionably one of the most important vineyards. The wine made here is unparalleled in our country and unsurpassed by the wines of Sauternes (France) or Tokay (Hungary) with whom it resembles. Many people still ask about the Cotnari miracle, well known and deeply rooted in the layers of memory. The calcareous soil and the marvelous effect of the “noble rot” (Botrytis cinerea), as well as the selective harvest when berries turn into raisins, contribute to the exquisite quality of the Cotnari wine (D.O.C.C.), known from the Middle Ages as the “Pearl of Moldavia”.