As the summer parties come to an end, the autumn parties begin: Gramofon Wine’s philosophy of blending wine with music, art, and good vibes will once again materialize on September 30th, with the Must Party. A must-go party, we might say.
Concert by Miruna Ionescu at Gramofon Wine
"It’s going to be a blast, that’s for sure," says Marcel Vulpoi, co-owner of Gramofon Wine. "We’ve had Greek parties, like Agurida Party, we’ve had jazz nights, and now we wanted to return to something more traditional, so the stars of the night will be Miruna Ionescu and Valentin Albesteanu and his folk band. If you haven’t listened to them yet, please search for them on YouTube, they’re worth it. It’s exactly the party atmosphere we desire, with old music, from the ’20 romance songs to old jazz, lightly reinterpreted. These are people you will fall in love with quickly and permanently after you listen to their music."
Tickets available for Gramofon Must Party! And more!
We don’t sell them (not us, Wines of Romania), but we had to mention that there are tickets still available, because last time, we didn’t even get to write a few lines before the party was sold out. "If you hurry, you can let your readers know in time that we’re having another party. We’ve only sold 90 tickets out of 200 (as of August 29). But I don’t know if there will be any left by Sunday. I don’t know if you understand how glad I am about the Agurida Party outcome. In August, when everyone is melting because of the heat or they’re going on vacation, we had 130 guests, even though we were prepared for 100. I’m happy, people have started to learn the way to the winery. And it was about time, it’s just an hour away from Bucharest, a wonderful retreat," says Marcel Vulpoi.
Local, traditional menu at Gramofon Must Party
The local wine with the local food – the golden rule of wine tourism will be strictly applied in the future at Gramofon Wine. If you notice that pecorino and prosciutto are somehow disappearing from the menu, it’s because the winery owners have decided that everything consumed at the winery must come from a maximum of 50 kilometers away. From the Ploiesti-Buzau road, one might say. But there’s no need to worry.
"We wanted to capture the taste of the place, and we found an excellent supplier of goat, sheep, urda (fresh unsalted low fermentation cheese), urda cream, and all sorts of delicacies. This year we’ll make cauldron pastrami in Sauvignon Blanc, it’s a disaster, it’s a shame to taste something like that, we won’t boil it for any less than an hour and a half, as there’s no rush anyway, but we’ll probably also let a pig rest on the spit. And we’re making white, rosé, and red must, so that people understand how wine works, that you don’t mix white and red wine to get rosé. And we have one more surprise, we’re discussing it now, but it’s relatively set – we’ll also have a must celebration, an unofficial party, the day after the Must Party. For those who didn’t get tickets but still want to come by and taste some must and pastrami, and for those who got tickets and want to recover on the second day, we’ll continue the party on Sunday. Probably a little less noisy, but beautiful, as usual," announced Marcel Vulpoi.
Gramofon Prosecco, two cuvées, and a brandy, premiering at Must Party
Those who attend the Must Party will have the premiere opportunity to taste the winery’s latest two wines, yet to be released – a white cuvée (from all the white grape varieties cultivated in the vineyard) and a red cuvée (from all the red grape varieties).
If you go there, it’s also the ideal occasion to get hold of one of the 3,000 bottles of the winery’s first batch of prosecco, Gramofon Prosecco. This fall, the second batch will be released, the first being available only on the producer’s website, gramofonwine.ro, and with a few (select) strategic partners.
The winery’s first brandy, a result of collaboration with Zetea, has also made its way into barrels. "Gabi Lacureanu (consulting oenologist of Gramofon Wine) probably cursed me, I think, for how much he had to read. We don’t make brandy from throwaway wines, God forbid, or from wines left in stock. We wanted to make something special, and I think we succeeded," says Marcel Vulpoi. So, if you get to the winery, maybe you can convince him to pour a drop for tasting, given that it will still be some time before the official release.
Gramofon announces another top-notch Feteasca Neagra
But the harvest? How’s the harvest? "We have a very good harvest, we even boasted about it in a few posts on Facebook, you can find them there. We’re all excited, Ovidiu is downright thrilled. The Feteasca Neagra promises to be excellent, it’s going to be really something. It’s been a good year, why not admit it, I hope it holds up until the end of the harvest, but at this point, we’re in good shape," Marcel Vulpoi declared.
New Year’s Eve at Gramofon Inn?
The former lodging facility for the workers gathered for harvesting is undergoing renovation, a process that began this year and is nearing completion. The 16 rooms of the house will each have their own uniqueness, following the boutique hotel model. Moreover, the hotel will be a work of art itself – Marcel Vulpoi being a well-known art collector and, more recently, even a gallerist. His own collection (or part of it) can be seen at The Great Hill (Cotroceni), and the spaces dedicated to young artists can be visited at the Great Hill Society Club, in the Bragadiru Palace.
"We’ve chosen eight painters, each of them will create a large-scale artwork, and the result will be a building entirely covered in art. We’re still working on this project, but as you know, we’re optimistic people, so I hope I can invite you to spend New Year’s Eve at Gramofon Inn. It’s not the final name yet, so if you have suggestions, I’m open to them," Vulpoi said.
Discover Gramofon Wine, a gold partner of Wines of Romania, in our articles and dedicated podcast:
"From childhood, I only remembered weeding, going out with the cart or carriage, the stables where I walked among the horses’ legs, Pavel, the white blind horse that was hitched to the cart and led by reins… And now I woke up as a vintner, but since 2015, I’ve been making wines responsibly, and they’ve been appreciated. Then came the Feteasca Neagra from 2016" – Marcel Pascu
- Read the interview here: https://www.winesofromania.com/marcel-pascu-coproprietar-gramofon-dealu-mare/
"For me, it came naturally, what I like might also be liked by others. The same happened with the decision to establish the first wine bar, The Great Hill. I asked myself: what do I like? Wine, art, and good music. So, okay, we’ll make a wine bar with art and music," – Marcel Vulpoi
- Read the article here: www.winesofromania.com/gramofon-nu-asteapta-godot-gasit-deja
Returning to the celebration of jazz, we’ll only tell you that we asked Marcel Vulpoi and Marcel Pascu, the two owners of the winery, about the music that would match their wines, about the music that changed their lives, the concerts that left them with a floating feeling, and similar things. Separately, so that one wouldn’t copy the answers from the other!
- Read the article here: https://www.winesofromania.com/interviu-2-in-1-gramofon-asortari/
"What do an accountant and a wine have in common? Take a cheap one and guaranteed, the next day you’ll have a headache!" – Marcel Vulpoi.
- Watch the Wines of Romania podcast episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htgnx_AufQ0
📷 Photo Source: Gramofon Wine
