Crama Mircesti (or Mircesti Winery) is a young winery in the "heart" of Moldova, located in Mircesti, where the name of comes from. Within the Codru PGI and beautiful and picturesque local landscapes, the winery has been called "Little Tuscany of Moldova", and it is proud of this distinguished appreciation.
The new winery site, along with vineyards, was established in 2011, and it is located roughly at 80 km from Chisinau, the main city and capital of Moldova. Since the establishment, the owners have decided on a unique model, specific to local terroir, with high focus on the micro-climate, local habits and knowledge in the area of vine growing and wine-making, and people's living style.
Now, let's explore together Crama Mircesti!
Winery history
Even though the winery's age is rather young, the wine tradition in the mentioned area is old as it is Moldova itself. One hundreds years ago, on one of the hills, which get high of 300m and above, was established a manor house, owned by a local "boyar" (noble) family. In the early days of World War II, the family has emigrated to Europe, leaving everything behind. After the war and during Soviet time, the house served several purposes from kindergarten to part of collective household (or "kolhoz" how it was named at that time).
By early-1990 the place became a ruin, and it lost from its old architectural value. When the new owner, Arcadie Fosnea, has purchased the property, the main scope was to revive its own look, to rebuild it from scratch and to shine like 100 years ago. There was the vision and strategic view of Arcadie Fosnea to establish this estate, and to put into great value its architectural, terroir and winemaking importance.
In parallel, a team was built to develop and run the full process of grape growing, wine production, own guesthouse and traditional cuisine.
The Crama Mircesti vineyards have their paramount case, growing at altitude of 270-320m above sea level, has all attributes to provide great wines, bot reds and whites. Therefore, the winery can operate all grapes grown on the vines and produce its great vintages. The cultivated area is about 17 hectares, comprising a nice range of local and international grapes, such as Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Pinot Noir, Saperavi, Feteasca Regala, Feteasca Alba, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Rkatsiteli, Syrah.
Wine tasting
Crama Mircesti provides an extended range of reds and whites, a characteristic of its specific terroir in the northern part of the Codru PGI (Moldova). Higher altitude, hills, sandy-clay soils, where the vines extract what it needs to provide elegant and complex wines, similar to the Piedmont region of Italy or Rheinhessen region of Germany.
It was our pleasure and challenge to gather and taste a distinctive wine range of Crama Mircesti, as follows:
- Rara Neagra (2021): Beautiful ruby color; on the nose, dried fruits, plum, sour cherry, vanilla, tabac; on the palate, medium-to-full bodied wine, balanced on mineral and alcohol, medium-to-high tannins, with long and velvety aftertaste. Gold Award at Wine of Moldova Contest 2022!
- Feteasca Neagra & Saperavi (2021) on barrique: A splendid and intense dry red wine from Codru PGI; on the nose, black cherries, cranberries, vanilla and spices, which are discovered at tasting too; on the palate, full-body wine, structured on acidity and tannins. The wine has a great potential for ageing. The vintages of 2019 and 2020 have received the gold award at Berlin Wine Trophy in 2022 and 2023, respectively!
- Feteasca Regala (2022): Yellow-green color; on the nose, an explosion of aromas, ripe pears, apple, notes of tropical fruits and herbs; on the palate, light and well-balanced wine between alcohol, acidity and mineral, with elegant aftertaste. Gold Award at VINARIUM International Wine Contest 2021 and 2022!
- Feteasca Alba (2022): Pale, yellow-to-green color; on the nose, balanced but needs time to open to an intense note of green herbs and citrus; on the palate, low-to-medium bodied wine, balanced on alcohol, acidity and minerals. Pleasant velvety aftertaste. Gold Award at VINARIUM International Wine Contest 2023!
- Viorica (2022): Dry white wine, yellow-to-green color; on the nose, a strong aroma of herbs, basil, linden flowers, pears, peach; on the palate, balanced on alcohol, mineral and acidity. Long mineral and elegant aftertaste.
- Riesling (2022): Dry white wine, pale yellow color; on the nose, pleasant floral aromas, apple and citrus; on the palate, easy-bodied wine, good texture, medium acidity and mineral. Long and aromatic aftertaste. Silver Award at Grand International Wine Award MUNDUS VINI 2023!
The winery produces also wines from international grapes like Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay as single varieties or blends.
This wine list makes pleasant any event, creates a joyful and friendly atmosphere, but my favorite two of them would be the blend Feteasca Neagra & Saperavi and Feteasca Alba!
Instead of conclusion
Crama Mircesti has experienced a phenomenal development in the last decade, from a no-name to an eminent brand name locally and internationally, and its growth should be seen in complexity: Arcadie Fosnea's strategy and vision, local micro-climate and terroir, winemaking tradition and estate history. All in one it makes the brand Crama Mircesti successful nowadays.
Crama Mircesti has recently launched a new wine assortment, named "Bardul din Mircesti" meaning "Minstrel from Mircesti", including few interesting cuvées. Also, 2023 has seen the release of Crama Mircesti sparkling wine. But this is another story.
Enjoy it responsibly!