This week I managed to reach (once again) a destination that was too long postponed – Cramele Recas. I saw Ioan Georgiu again, the one who is always waiting for you with a quiver of jokes and cannot finish a sentence without a smile. And I discovered Ghita Iova, who always seems so serious, but is such a fine and hard-working man. So I understood that one of the reasons why the Recas Wineries became one of the most respected wine producers in Romania is the extraordinary partnership between the 3 partners (the two and Philip Cox, the one responsible for the success of Recas in the Great Britain). With well-defined roles, each of them knows the area they are responsible for extremely well and, above all, they complement each other very well.
The surprise comes from the next generation
I couldn’t leave the Winery before I accepted the invitation of Narcis Georgiu, son of Ioan Georgiu, to visit the Buffet of the Senses, an exhibition that he thought up and put up top-to-bottom.
And it was a great idea to accept the invitation, because I discovered an initiative that is as useful as it is visually successful: an exhibition that offers visitors an interaction with each of the elements that define wine. The color, the aromas, the texture (as a whole consisting of body, acidity, astringency, sugar and alcohol), the frequent defects of the wine (cork, volatile acidity, bretanomyces) all are collected in pharmacy bottles or covered with glass bells, in a spectacular exhibition.
The Buffet of the Senses is hosted by the recently revitalized space of Cazarma U (Piata Unirii, Timisoara) and can be visited until November 30. The curator of the exhibition is, as I said, Narcis Georgiu, who gave up a promising career in law to devote himself to the world of wine. Today, at 38 years old, Narcis can boast of a CV full of Michelin stars and an international experience that include Napa Valley, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris or Mont Blanc.
Recas is the main partner of the European Cultural Capital
Recas wineries continue their role as ambassadors of Romania and, after breaking all the records in terms of wine exports to the main markets in the West, they also got involved in the "life of the city", becoming one of the main partners of the Timisoara municipality in the year in which the "capital of the West" won the status of European Cultural Capital. You will see them, if you arrive in the city, on giant billboards, with a superb message – Timisoara, you are art!
And art it is, with its 12th century fortress, with a heterogeneous population – Romanians, Germans, Hungarians, Serbs, but also Bulgarians, Italians, Greeks and Roma, up to a total of 21 cultures and 18 religions, with 10,000 buildings with historical monument status, parks and gardens that can cope with any potential wave of visitors, Timisoara is among the most attractive destinations in the country, being able to play, in other words, the role of "anchor" from which to explore the other Western destinations, from Arad to Caras-Severin.
A summer of culture
According to the dedicated website, timisoara2023.eu, "(the summer) continues with extended reality demonstrations from cultural, historical, scientific, educational fields, as well as installations created for historical buildings, events designed for children and families, in various locations in Timisoara: Experimentarium TM and the Technical Museum of UPT – Science and Tech Playground, in the U Barracks – Digital Culture Space, the hall of the Electro – Culture Fun Space building and in the premises of the National Museum of Banat – the Digital Heritage Dome.
At the invitation of the Triade Foundation, in June you can still visit, in the Jecza Gallery on Calea Martirilor 1989 51/52 in Timisoara, the new personal exhibition of the artist Tincuta Marin, Distant realities, curated by the British curator Mark Gisbourne, which proposes a concept borrowed from surrealism, "leading us to a world that resides in each of us, where good fights against evil, as in a contemporary fairy tale about the current world", as Andrei Jecza describes this exhibition.
Art, SF, established authors and a reborn museum
Also, the fifth edition of the Art Encounters Biennale – My Rhino Is Not a Myth, art of science fiction, dedicated to the intersection between art, science and fiction, continues until July 16, in 15 exhibition spaces, in multiple locations around the city".
We had the opportunity to visit, at the National Art Museum, an impressive retrospective exhibition by Romul Nutiu, Playing Hazard. And, for those who haven’t visited this museum in a long time, we assure you that it has gone through important changes, which have turned it into one of the "coolest" destinations, not only in Timisoara, but in all of Romania.
As wine lovers, however, our advice is, after you’ve had your fill of theatre, poetry and art, don’t forget to visit the Recas Wineries, where a generous outdoor tasting space has just been opened, although the heat outside will maybe guide your steps to the inner tasting spaces… Or, if your road lead you to other areas, you will still find wineries on your way, both to the North, as far as Maramures, and to the South, as far as Mehedinti. Be curious, this country has enough wine!
