One of the biggest and famous winery in Romania is certainly Recas Winery (Cramele Recaș România). It brings a great history, a big wine portfolio and a dedicated heritage of what means wine-growing in Romanian Banat region.
And my invitation is to explore together this amazing winery and its beautiful history.
Winery history
The story of the Recas vineyards goes back hundreds years ago, as first documentation of it appeared in 1447 when it changed hands for 32 florints (Hungarian gold coin of the time). Soon the vineyards and on-site wine-making became very known regionally and abroad, becoming one of Banat's symbols and a trading asset. Since then, the ownership has changed several times, because the ruling class of any specific time understood the importance and wealth of Recas.
The modern history of Recas Winery started in 1991, after the fall of communism regime in Romania. With the mission to bring back its fame, a Romanian-British family has invested in and brought back the winery on Romanian (and global) map of wine.
Recas Winery nowadays
Currently, Recas Winery has still a Romanian-British ownership and the title of biggest Romanian winery by turnover and exports. Indeed, the latest available data (calendar year 2022) shows robust financials, with turnover higher than EUR 3.5mn (or +16.1% year-on-year) and Net Income EUR 0.3mn (+15.6% y.o.y.). The exports go mainly to UK, USA, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden.
Operationally, the winery has production capacity of approximately 39 million liters of wine per year, collecting the grapes from ~1200 hectares in Recas (Timis County) and Minis (Arad County). The vineyards provide 22 grape varieties, both red and white, which are then put into operation for 51 wines, split into several quality ranges.
A major achievement of the company is linked to its production value chain - full modernization and well-known winemakers, like Hartley Smithers, Nora Iriarte and Florin Voloaca. In 2020, Hartley and Nora were listed among the top 100 winemakers internationally by the UK publication The Drinks Business.
Top-quality of the Recas wines is, hence, recognized nationally and internationally as well, and the long list of awards is a good prove of it. Only in 2023, the company has received the following gold and grand golds:
- Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB): Conacul Ambrozy - Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (Grand Gold)
- Le Mondial du Rosé: Muse Night 2022 (Grand Gold), Sole Roze 2022 (Grand Gold), Castel Huniade Roze 2022 (Gold)
- IWCB Vinarium: Sole Chardonnay 2022, La Stejari Chardonnay 2020, Solo Quinta Roze 2022, Selene Feteasca Neagra 2021, Cuvee Überland 2020 - all Gold
- WineLovers Wine Awards: La Stejari Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Selene Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Sole Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Selene Feteasca Neagra 2021 - all Gold
Wine tasting
From the great list of Recas wines, we have selected the range La Stejari, the premium segment and limited quantities, with origins at "La Stejari" and "Dealul Ţiganului" parcels. The philosophy of Hartley and Nora in creating the wines La Stejari is to vinify the white and red varieties with the best quality potential from each individual harvest.
Andrei Popa, Romanian Sommelier and Dor de Vin owner, made an extensive review of La Stejari and picked up three authentic vintages, as follows:
- Chardonnay 2018: A wine from the winery's premium range (DOC-CMD Recas), vinified in the style of the new world, has confirmed its exceptional quality through awards obtained at prestigious international competitions. An exceptional dry white wine with golden-yellow color, clear and intense, with notes of fruits (apple, apricots, pears), but also vanilla and butter, and a long aftertaste.
- Merlot 2017: A stylish wine which dictates its flavors with precision and elegance. This unfiltered Merlot is a dry red wine, full-body and memorable. The wine is clear, with an intense crimson red color. It requires a decantation to open its full and complex bouquet. Firstly, it reveals the notes of well-ripened black fruits, followed by hints of vanilla, wood and sweet spices such as cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. It is a wine with well-structured, solid tannins, but balanced by the acidity of black fruits. A concentrated taste with woody notes and anise, followed by bitter chocolate, dominated by well-ripened berries, even jam. The finish is long, intense, fruity with spicy notes.
- Cabernet Sauvignon 2018: After a delicate pressing, the wine was transferred to new French barrels (225 L) Dargeaux & Jaegle – Alliers Forest - for 12 months. Without filtering or clarification, the wine was bottled in a limited edition of 6643 bottles and remained for 18 months in the Recas cellars for maturation. A wine with an aging potential of over 10 years. It can also be served young, at the Easter table, alongside roast lamb, aged beef steak, grilled or in the oven The color of the wine is intense purple red. The aromatic bouquet opens with primary aromas of cherries, currants, shortbread and continues with secondary aromas of sweet spices, nutmeg and black truffles. The winemakers produced a pure-blood Cabernet Sauvignon with a long aftertaste, suitable for aging for at least 10 years.
What I particularly find interesting about Cramele Recaș România is that it has a marvelous history, re-gained its position of Banat's symbol, a great winery with a great wine portfolio, long-term development and high focus on customer.
How once peter dean wrote in The Buyer, Recas Winery "is like a music producer, if you will, content not to hog the spotlight, but concentrating on getting the mix right, adjusting ‘the volume’ up or down, to facilitate hit after hit". And I cannot agree more...