INFO
Corcova Roy & Damboviceanu - a constantly updated "passport" of the winery, useful for consumers and professionals
- Name of the winery: CORCOVA ROY & DAMBOVICEANU
- Region: Mehedinti – Corcova
- Contact person: Emilia Rosu
- Phone: 0252 383 541
- E-mail: office@corcova.ro
- Working hours: MONDAY – FRIDAY: 08:00 – 17:00, SATURDAY and SUNDAY: CLOSED.
- Company name: S.C. VITICOLA CORCOVA S.R.L.
- Year founded: 2005
- Owner(s): Michel Roy, Serban Damboviceanu
- Oenologist: Liviu Grigorica, Catalin Boruga
- Annual production (in litres): 400.000 L
- Direct sale at the winery: 70 HA
- Cellar address: Str. Principala, Nr. 293, Village Corcova, Jud. Mehedinti, 227125
- Main Street, No. 293, Village Corcova, Jud. Mehedinti, 22712
- Website: www.corcova.ro
Corcova Roy & Damboviceanu
Corcova, a story about youth and hope
Corcova seemed to be, in the beginning, the promise of those better things that a whole generation hoped for. It was the fruit of the work of some of the first young people who left the country after 1989, who returned with a small capital and who, instead of wasting their lives or involving into politics, rolled up their sleeves and started building. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the return of many of those who left, and today Corcova is one of the few success stories of the new generation.
Corcova was at first an idea born on a bicycle, in Alsace
With the French language learned in high school, Serban Damboviceanu ends up studying Law in Strasbourg, specializing in the management and administration of companies. To support himself financially during his studies, he works in a hotel where, oftenly tasting with the sommelier and the chef, he learns the first things about wine. During the holidays, he pedals through the Alsatian villages, from winery to winery, meets welcoming people and learns about the journey from grapes to wine directly from oenologists and winegrowers.
The next stage in life finds Serban Damboviceanu first as an intern, then employed in the purchasing department of an international retail chain, where he also manages the wine selection.
During this period, he meets Michel Roy, with whom he tastes wines from all corners of the world and from whom he learns the subtleties of this universe. Both believe that Romanian wine deserves more visibility in the world, but there are years when, apart from a few labels from Bulgaria, the wines of Eastern Europe are completely ignored. After a period spent in Italy, where Serban discovers the new (at that time) slow-food movement, Damboviceanu and Roy decide, after years of planning, to get involved in the life of Romanian wine.
Corcova, born from the ruins of Bibestilor
Before arriving in Corcova, Serban Damboviceanu visited potential investment targets in Dobrogea, Moldova and Muntenia, but one trip to the former estate of the Bibescu noblemen family was enough to check all the possible arguments that it is worth staying. The history of the place, first of all, is so rich that it deserves its own volume, from the millenia lost in history to the documented vineyards of the XVI-th century, from the notoriety of Anton Bibescu’s wines in the literary circles of Paris to the fact that this is where Romanian writers Pillat, Minulescu or Mihail Sebastian took refuge, or the place where Marcel Proust always wanted to visit, without ever making his dream come true.
As terroir, the parcels surrounded by forest, the slopes with soils rich in minerals, the overnight coolness given by the mountains, to compensate the hot sun during the day, but also the subsequent decisions – the way the vineyard plots were designed (as a density of planting) and the practices with an eco approach – all these are gathered in a set of attributes that translate into high quality grapes.
Last but not least, as an economic argument, during the period when the Corcova Roy&Damboviceanu winery was born, the remains of the former IAS (state-owned farm) Corcova were among the few patches of vineyards still aggregated, after most of the vineyards had been returned to the heirs of those who had their lands confiscated by the authorities communists.
Corcova, Corcovel, Corcovin
Corcova Roy&Damboviceanu started in 2005, with 12 hectares of vines per fruit of the former IAS and another 55 hectares of degraded vines from the village of Jirov, an area that has only grown slightly, up to a total of 70 hectares.
Because the place still bore the memory of the famous interbellic wines, Corcovin and Corcovel, the priority for replanting was the international varieties, the same used 70 to 100 years ago – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Viognier or Muscat Ottonel, along with the symbolic grape of the place (and of the country), Feteasca neagra.
The winery is monitored electronically, but it is cared for traditionally, with great attention to sustainability and durability, keeping in mind the future generations.
