Timisoara awards new pioneers
in Romanian wine
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Timisoara recently hosted the fourth edition of the Vinfest wine fair and contest. This is an important achievement, both because it has an expanding number of participants and because of continuity - in Romania, anything happening more than three years in a row equals resistance.
The contest, sealed with a stamp of approval by world-renowned professionals, awarded the best Romanian wines.
My professional ego ‘leads’ me to state that the majority of the winners have already been nominated in this section of The Diplomat magazine. I bet on blind that the best Cabernet Sauvignon that came on the market in 2007 is River Route Limited Edition by Carl Reh Winery (2004), and I received this confirmation. This wine can appear ‘lighter’ than we are accustomed, but it does not suffer a lack of structure or vigour. It only misses the fact that it has not been kept in a barrel excessively. But those wonderful people at Carl Reh Winery have managed to convince that a wine can unveil its charming personality without too much ‘oak’, which should attract our congratulations. However the low number of bottles on sale in the ultra specialist shops and top restaurants will not allow this title to be present for long.
In the ‘dry - white’ category, Recas and Domeniul Coroanei Segarcea won the gold with a Feteasca Regala and Riesling Italian respectively, both from 2005. A special mix from Tezaur Tarnave and Mustoasa de Maderat (local variety, grown in Minis near Arad), have made the Golden list complete. The Cetate Tezaur Chardonnay also won an important gold. In the semi-aromatic and aromatic categories, the winners were Jidvei’s Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat Ottonel.
Regarding old wines, the Bucium ‘vinoteca’ was awarded for the 1986 Feteasca Alba. Serve won the Grand Prize for a Merlot rose, the company of Count Du Poix also won a silver medal with Terra Romana, Sauvignon Blanc.
In red dry wines, there was a thorough selection and a lack of temptation to produce an ‘inflation’ of medals. Just three golds for Bella Geza’s wine, a mix from Minis (probably supported by Cadarca) and a Merlot, by Philip Cox (La Putere) together with the River Route Limited Edition Cabernet on the highest rank of the podium.
On www.evinoteca.ro you can see all the awarded wines and can receive them at home or send to someone else as a present
Stop press: I also want to give you the scoop that premium wines such as Brunello di Montalcino and other good wines from Italy have already entered the country – so check yourwine adviser because these wine are not sold in hypermarket.
Catalin Paduraru
www.evinoteca.ro
