I vaguely remember the first time I drank wine – a sparkling wine served as a welcome drink at a reception. It was one of those formal moments where the elegant glass was part of the setting but left no memorable taste impression. I don’t recall the grape variety, the producer, or the vintage – just its subtle effervescence and the fact that it was there without truly captivating me.
However, there is a distinct moment that marked the beginning of my relationship with wine. Amarone. It was the first time a wine genuinely caught my attention. A good friend handed me a large, imposing glass of Amarone and spoke about it with passion. She described its color, aromas, texture, and story. She told me about the patience required to produce it, the traditional methods used, and the sensations it could evoke.
I listened, fascinated. It seemed incredible to me how she could know so much about a single wine, how every detail carried significance. It wasn’t just about taste; it was about an entire cultural universe. In that moment, I wanted to know, too. I realized that wine is not just a pleasure but also a form of general culture, a universal language that grants access to history, geography, art, and tradition.
Until then, wine had been just a beverage. During my childhood in Maramureș, conversations revolved more around horincă (local fruit spirit), and wine was not part of my daily landscape.
But that Amarone opened a door to a new universe. For the first time, I felt that wine was more than just a liquid in an elegant glass. I realized that behind every bottle lies a culture, a history, an emotion.
That was when my journey into the world of wine truly began. It was followed by an encounter with sparkling wines, which still hold a special place in my heart, specialized training, and, during that period, my discovery of Romanian wine – just as it was beginning a new chapter. A chapter that, from the very start, I knew would become part of my life, too.
Wines of Romania note
Amarone is a traditional wine from the Valpolicella region, primarily made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes, with (usually) small additions of other local varieties. The wine is produced using the appassimento method – grapes harvested in the first half of October are left to partially dehydrate on straw mats (often made of bamboo). The resulting more concentrated must produces a powerful and intensely aromatic wine, often with alcohol levels exceeding 15%.
The name Amarone began to be used in the 1950s to distinguish this dry wine from its sweeter counterpart, Recioto, which is also made using the appassimento method from the same grape varieties. However, in Recioto, fermentation is typically stopped early due to the presence of noble rot, resulting in a sweet wine.
"The Wine of My Youth"
The Wine of Youth is a series of stories about the first wines that introduced us to this fascinating world – at the legal drinking age.
Even if we no longer drink those wines today, or some no longer exist, they remain tied to some of the most captivating moments of our lives. After all, those years are, in many ways, the ones that shape us as individuals and define our values.
At Wines of Romania, we aim to rediscover these wines – and the values they represent – through your stories, retracing the journeys we’ve taken from then to now, both as people and as wine lovers.
We invite you to share your story with us at info@winesofromania.com.
Each week, we publish your stories here and celebrate nostalgia with a bottle of wine gifted to the most authentic contributors. Send us your story about your first steps into the world of wine and the variety you fell in love with – if you convince us, we’ll send you a bottle of wine to properly celebrate this memory. Who knows, it might even be THAT wine.
