Romania and wine

In earlier days Romania embraced a deeply established winemaking culture; today, the country is bidding to re-establish its former glory. Romania’s communist period (1946-1989) emphasised quantity over quality and the viniculture industry was chronically lacking in investment. Europe Union membership since 2007 has helped the process evolve towards a more encouraging outlook for wine making with free access to the world’s largest internal market.

A Latin country in a Slavic region, wine has been part of Romania’s culture for 4,000 years.

While 90 per cent of its production is consumed domestically, its largest export market is Germany.

A 2008 study found that Romania is the eighth largest wine market in the world in terms of volume – quite impressive for a country with a population of 21 million.

After the fall of communism, many Romanian vineyards were acquired by foreign companies which aimed to improve Romanian wines such as the very special Pinot Noirs, the Feteasca Neagra (eng: the maidens grapes) and the Tamaioasa Romaneasca (eng: the aromatic grape). At the forefront of these companies was Halewood International.

Roots

Halewood International is the most significant independent producer of wine and alcoholic beverages in Britain. Established in 1978, Halewood International now has state-of-the-art facilities, an annual turnover of £250 million and more than 1,500 employees worldwide. Halewood International and Halewood RomaniaHalewood International began importing wines from Romania in 1987. Ten years later, its first Romanian subsidiary was founded, after which it quickly became the largest exporter of Romanian wines to Britain. After investing more than $10 million, today Halewood Romania owns three subsidiaries in Romania, in wine growing, wine making and in wine distribution – and employs more than 200 staff. The Group manages over 400 hectares of vines in three major wine growing areas: Dealu Mare, Podisul Transilvaniei and Murfatlar. The average annual wine production is 42,000 hl and the storage capacity is 90,420 hl.

mission

Halewood Romania aspires to produce and export the best wines of international recognition and distinction. To achieve this goal, Halewood Romania relies on the talent and dedication of its staff and provides an open environment for employees based on mutual respect.

PRoPeRties

Recent investments of more than $7 million in technology and expertise have made it possible for the cellars of Halewood Romania to better realise the country’s extraordinary winemaking potential and diversity. Halewood Romania’s seven cellars –Tohani Cellars, Vadu Sapat Cellar, Valea Calugareasca Cellars, Ciumbrud Cellars, Ploiesti Cellars, Rhein Azuga Cellars and Urlateanu Mansion House – each have a distinctive character.

estates

Founded in 2001 as a subsidiary of Halewood Romania, Domeniile Halewood’s (eng: Halewood Estate) work ethic is that the quality of the wine is born and cultivated in the vineyards. This subsidiary manages over 400 ha of vineyards in three of the most fertile wine regions in Romania: Dealu Mare, a predominantly red wine producing region, on Parallel 45 North similar to two other celebrated European wine regions, Tuscany in Italy and Bordeaux in France, Podisul Transilvaniei (eng: Transylvanian Plateau), with a chilly climate favourable for white wines, and Murfatlar, near the Black Sea, with a warmer climate, ideal for late harvesting varieties. These areas are part of an ambitious planting programme, with a budget of several million dollars.

Goals

In 1997, Halewood International asked Halewood Romania to meet certain objectives. The overriding aim of the company was to market Romanian wines to international expectations. Halewood Romania currently sells its wines to more than 40 countries and has become the largest Romanian bottled wine exporter. Countries that Halewood Romania exports to include China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Peru and of course the United Kingdom and the United States.

Halewood Romania uses international grape varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and the amazing local varieties Feteasca Neagra, Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala and Iordana. With such diversity Halewood Romania is able to provide the domestic and international market with high quality wines, all of which have well defined personalities.

Halewood Romania wines

Prahova Valley A drop of passion

Launched in 2000, Prahova Valley combines wine traditions with modern winemaking techniques.

Halewood Romania exports this brand to customers in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, the United States and Canada.

This well-known brand is divided into three quality categories: Special Reserve, Reserve and Clasic. These categories differ in terms of type and period of aging of the wine.

Prahova Valley special Reserve

Wines are matured for at least twelve months in new oak barrels and aged in the bottle for one year, to acquire their characteristic bouquet.

In order to preserve the natural features and the primary flavours, technical intervention for wine conditioning is minimal. Full-bodied and rich in oak barrel tannins, Prahova Valley Special Reserve wines can still gain quality by aging.

The Prahova Valley Special Reserve range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Feteasca Neagra and Sauvignon Blanc.

Prahova Valley Reserve

Wines in this range have been produced in a modern manner, aged in oak barrels for four months then in the bottle for at least six months.

Prahova Valley Reserve varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Feteasca Alba and Tamaioasa Romaneasca.

Prahova Valley Clasic

Prahova Valley Classic wines comprise young, subtle and harmonious wines, which preserve the taste of the grapes. To maintain their fruitiness, the winemaker uses only stainless steel tanks and the wine never “sees” the oak barrel.

The Classic range varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Merlot

Rose, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Hyperion

Hyperion comes in a limited edition and is intended as a rare and exceptional delight for those with a refined taste. This wine is reserved for epicureans and for those who recognise true value and are always in search of the unique. The Hyperion Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 Dealu Mare is a dry red wine and limited to 12,000 bottles. Aged in American oak barrels, it is strong, complex and well-balanced, and is also known as “the sun of red wines”.

Cherry tree Hill

Cherry Tree Hill grapes are grown in sun-drenched orchards or alongside vineyards as natural protectors to the vines. Cherry Tree Hill overlooks the best south sloping vineyards and was the inspiration for this wine.

The grape varieties used for Cherry Tree Hill are Pinot Noir and Merlot.

Byzantium

Launched in 2003, Byzantium comprises wines with outstanding personality and individuality, a combination of the professionalism of Halewood’s technical expertise and the extraordinary potential of vineyards owned by Halewood Romania. Whether it is the classic style of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, or the more modern and innovative blends such as Rosso di Valachia and Blanc de Transylvanie, these complex wines signify luxury, refinement and caprice.

Besides the refined blends Rosso di Valachia and Blanc de Transylvanie, the Byzantium range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Cramele Halewood

Cramele Halewood red wines are matured for six months in oak barrels, and are slightly lighter and rounder than the wines in the Prahova Valley Special Reserve range.

Feteasca Regala is remarkable for its cheerfulness, freshness and outstanding fruit, harmoniously blending with the acidity that is characteristic for the grapes growing in the Transylvanian Plateau wine region. The medium-sweet rosé as well as the Pinot Noir wines are delightful.

The Feteasca Neagra, a signature Halewood brand, suggests elegance and refinement.

Premiat Reserva

Halewood’s Premiat range represents a selection of the bestselling varieties in terms of price and quality. This brand is renowned for quality in the entry-level price segment.

Grape varieties used for Premiat are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling Italico.

dreamer

With phenomenal success in Estonia, the dreamer logo – a detail of a work from a renowned local painter – has become an icon representing this wonderful Romanian wine.

Similar to the Prahova Valley Range, Dreamer is divided into three different categories, Late Harvest, Selected Harvest and Feteasca.

The sweeter wines of the Late Harvest demonstrate an exceptional character due to the concentration of accumulated natural sugar, a result of the favourable weather and soil conditions, provided by the Dealu Mare and Murfatlar regions. For the Late Harvest wines, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties have been used.

Selected Harvest represents the Dreamer’s medium sweet wines, with grape varieties Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. Dreamer Feteasca is the most recent addition to the Dreamer brand. Because of the high demand on genuine Romanian varieties, Dreamer has now included Feteasca Regala and Feteasca Neagra into its portfolio, the first a white wine and the second a red. Sparkling wines complete the Dreamer range, with Sauvignon Blanc Muscat, Merlot Rose and Pinot Noir varieties.

Rhein extra

Rhein is symbolic of the golden era of Romania’s past – and, who knows – a celebration of a new one in its future, perhaps.

Served with the menu for the coronation of King Ferdinand of Romania in 1922, Romania’s royal coat of arms features on the label of every bottle of Rhein Extra.

Rhein Extra is made from Iordana grapes, a unique Romanian variety. It is produced in Romania’s oldest sparkling wine cellar using the traditional method.

Rhein Extra range comprises Brut Rose, Brut Sparkling white and Sec sparkling white for its sparkling wines.

All cellar operations, from bottling to labelling are done by hand.

Prahova Valley

Prahova Valley sparkling wines are obtained in the Rhein-Azuga wine cellars, blending Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Feteasca Regala and using the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle.

The Prahova Valley range consists of Brut, Sec (dry), Demi-Sec white, Sec-Red Sparkling, and Demi-sec (medium-dry).

millennium

The sparkling wines in the Millennium range are obtained at Ploiesti wine cellar, using the cuve close or Charmat method, with the second fermentation taking place in stainless steel tanks. This method provides a sparkling product with a quality close to that obtained by means of natural fermentation in the bottle, but with a higher yield and a more expressive character, emphasising its floral, fruity qualities.

The Millennium range comprises Dry, Medium Sweet and a Rosé Medium Dry.

Halewood Romania touRism

Wine tasting excursions are welcome at Halewood Romania’s fabulous sparkling cellar, the Rhein Azuga Cellar, and the beautiful Urlateanu Manor.

Built in 1892, the Rhein Azuga Cellar was the former ‘Supplier of Romania’s Royal Court’, and since April 2006 has been designated ‘Supplier of His Majesty King Michael the First’. The cellar is considered the oldest at which sparkling wine is produced using the traditional method.

In the cellars situated above the ground, with double walls, black mould and natural ventilation, visitors may fully appreciate the art of producing sparkling wine.

The Rhein Pension is located in the midst of the majestic Carpathian Mountains. This small hotel consists of 15 suites and two saloons, and can serve 90 people seated for dinner. Eloquently named after grape varieties, the rooms offer a charming view over a 2 ha park.

testimonials

“The warm welcome we received at Halewood’s Rhein sparkling wine facility at Azuga was tremendous. Great tour, good food and excellent wine capped off a fantastic visit for our overseas visitors. Highly recommended.” Mike Roberts, Bucharest resident.

“This is the third time we have been here and it gets better each time! Thank you!” Andrew and Gina d’Entremont, Canadian Embassy Bucharest

“Thank you very much! Your Brut is excellent!” Kim Youn Kwany and Chung You Mee, South Korea

At Urlateanu Manor, situated in Urlati, Prahova, and part of the vineyard Dealu Mare, known as ‘the country of red wine’, visitors can enjoy discovering the story of the wine during tasting.

The attractive smell of the cellar, the aroma of the wine, the noise of the carefully moved bottles, the echo of voices

are all the result of the work of nature, man and the time taken to complete the winemaking process.

Wine tasting can be accompanied by local food and a tour of the underground cellar, where the winemaking techniques are described.

Visitors to these two cellars cannot help but be charmed by the fabulous wines in majestic Carpathian surroundings and the wonderful people met during the unique sensation of a holiday in Romania.

Halewood Romania LTD 7A Paris street,

Sector 1 BucharestPhone: +40212.318.559

Fax: +40 212.311.232

office@halewood.com.rowww.halewood.com.ro