—-Ultimul articol din acest an vine cu o surpriza. In urma ivitatiei de a juriza la cea de a 8-a editie a Concursului de Vinuri Rose din Romania, Elizabeth Gabay a trimis acest scurt articol pentru vin2.ro. Veti gasi scurte impresii despre vinurile rose care i-au placut mai mult.

At the Romanian Rosé Contest on 26 June 2020 we tasted the top sixteen rosés pre-selected from a range of almost 80 dry rosés costing between 5-12 euros. With an international market focus on the ‘Provence-style’ rosé, I brought along a rosé from the Provence estate Domaine des Mapliers.

—-This rosé is a benchmark Provence style, and I wanted to show how this style of wine has a round rich creaminess and crisp freshness typical of Grenache based rosés. There is more to Provence style than just colour.
—-Nevertheless, while judging these wines, it was interesting to hear how many judges gave marks for the pale colour, whether as an indication of quality or as a nod to international conformity.

—-The first prize went to a rosé that was very close in style to the Mapliers: Aurelia Visinescu’s “Karakter” from Dealu Mare. A blend of Syrah, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon. Creamy pink colour with creamy white fruit, floral notes, hints of red berries and fresh leafy acidity.
—-My individual highest score went to Ion Vladoi of Domeniul Vladoi from Murfatlar region for his Feteasca Neagra. A slightly deeper salmon pink colour. Aromatic floral and fruity notes on the nose continued on the palate with ripe strawberry fruit and fragrant roses with good, fresh leafy acidity. I liked the boldness of the red fruit with its full-bodied red fruit and a little twist of tannin on the finish. A rosé wine for red wine drinkers.
—-Other rosés which all gained silver scores were, in points order:
—-C’est Soir from Crama Hermeziu, DOC-CMD Iasi also made with Feteasca Neagra showed similar ripe strawberry fruit with smooth rich roundness with crisp redcurrant acidity. Charming and vibrant.
—-Budureasca Premium Rosé sec, DOC-CMD Dealu Mare, a blend of Feteasca Neagra & Shiraz would have scored higher, but I was confused by this wine – maybe an example of me not fully understanding Feteasca Neagra? On the nose were the similar floral notes found on Vladoi’s rosé, but more pronounced and I queried whether there were any aromatic varieties in the blend. (I checked and there are none). Floral, pretty, delicate with fine mineral structure.
—-“Primordial” from Domeniul Bogdan, DOC Murfatlar and made with French winemaker Philippe Cambie was the only rosé made with 100% Merlot. I normally struggle with this variety in rosé as it can be too soft, but this was delicious. Crisp and crunchy red berries, hints of summer flowers and creamy ripe black fruit balanced by leafy, slightly herbaceous acidty and a faintest hint of tannic grip on the finish giving structure.
—-Crama Rasova’s “Sur Mer” DOC Murfatlar, one third Feteasca Neagra, one third Syrah and one third Pinot Noir. Was a delicate creamy peach fruit rosé with fresh acidity. Not a complex wine but nicely balanced and attractive.
—-Faurar’s Rosé de Ceptura DOC Dealu Mare was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A darker pink than many of the rosés and this more pronounced colour seemed to be a clue to the more opulent strawberry and raspberry fruit. Fresh creamy acidity and lively acidity to balance.
—-Liliac’s Rosé DOC-CMD Lechinta, was the only Pinot Noir rosé to make it through to my top wines. This is a variety which makes a delicate style and for me needs more concentration to produce a top rosé. This pale pink wine had delicate ripe red fruit on nose with leafy acidity.
—-Nirvana Roze from the Velvet Winery, Corcova, Oltenia was a blend pf Cabernet Sauvignon 60% and Feteasca Neagra 40%. Pale pink with floral notes on the nose. On the palate creamy red fruit with fresh silky acidity.
—-I looked for some regional style that would allow me to describe Romanian rosé – whether by region or variety, but apart from the rosés with Feteasca Neagra showing some floral notes, my conclusion was that the range of styles reflected the individual winemaker more than the terroir in this price bracket. All the wines tasted were 2019, but I did feel that Avincis’s Cuvée Alexis was too young, and its potential was only just beginning to show. In order to fully understand Romanian rosé I would love a slightly more expensive category and an older rose category in the competition.
—-A second smaller section of the competition was for dry aromatic wines made with the uniquely Romanian Busuioaca de Bohotin. This is a variety which seems to benefit from some residual sugar to lift the aromatics. Of the five wines tasted, two showed particularly well.
—-Budureasca Premium Rosé sec DOC-CMD Dealu Mare had roses on the aromas and enough residual sugar to the aromatic fruit and long fresh acidity while the wining wine from Domeniile Averesti PDO Husi was full of aromatic red fruit with floral notes and fresh acidity.
—-Romanian rosé may still be finding its way to show clear Romanian character, but local varieties are certainly very promising, and the quality is good.Definitely a region to keep an eye on for distinctive styles and quality.

Romanian Rosé Contest organized by:
Razvan Stoenescu (co-founder of the wine blog vin2.ro – stories with wine. #winelover community Ambassador for Romania. Collaborator Vinul.ro – wine magazine.
Iulian Grigorescu (sommelier and restaurant manager. WINE dealer.
Collaborator Vinul.ro – wine magazine. Author of the blog www.pistoanebaricate.ro)
Laurentiu Horodnic (communicator and founder of the wine blog www.oenolog.ro.
Founder of the Vademecum Wine Club. Master of Science in enology and viticulture)
and #WineloverRomania