The wine industry in Romania continues its ascent, with over 50 new wineries being authorized in the last 10 months, according to data from ONVPV analyzed by Wines of Romania. Additionally, wine production was 15% higher, compared to 2022, despite coming from a slightly reduced total vineyard area compared to previous years.
This year, by the end of January, the list of wineries authorized to produce wines with Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC), Geographic Indication (IG), or varietal wines reached 473, as per a press release dated February 15, 2024, compared to 422 registered in April 2023.
Local varieties, increasingly preferred by producers
According to aggregated data from Wines of Romania, it can be observed that in the past three years, producers have shifted their attention towards native grape varieties. There is a noticeable trend of increasing surfaces under these varieties, while areas cultivated with international grape varieties, „globalization” grapes, have been slightly reduced. Additionally, there has been a growing appetite among local producers for cultivating less common varieties, such as Syrah, Cabernet Franc, or Viognier.
"We observe a timid but evident trend towards the use of native varieties. The domestic market will not be able to absorb the entire wine production, and a move towards international markets becomes increasingly plausible. Consumers in these markets are increasingly attracted to local and regional varieties, which reflect the identity and specificity of the area of origin. At the same time, there is a growing interest among domestic consumers in the diversity of the offer, which denotes an incipient valorization of native varieties. We hope that this evolution will lead to not only increased but also more refined wine consumption in the years to come." – Marinela Ardelean, international wine expert and founder of the Wines Of Romania platform.
What does the vineyard area look like in Romania?
Among the "international grapes," the only one with a positive evolution in terms of cultivated area in 2023 was Chardonnay, with an increase of 50 hectares last year and reaching a total of 2,077 hectares at present.
When it comes to native varieties, the most significant increase in cultivated area was recorded by Busuioaca de Bohotin, from 785 to 912 hectares, while the most cultivated Romanian variety, Feteasca regala, consolidated its position, increasing in 2023 from 12,007 to 12,083 hectares. Feteasca neagră also increased from 3,316 to 3,384 hectares, while the new star from Oltenia, Negru de Drăgășani, recorded an increase from 62 to 68 hectares.
On the other hand, Feteasca Albă lost over 100 hectares, dropping from 12,032 hectares in 2021 to 11,931 hectares by the end of 2023. A decrease of 30 hectares in cultivated area was also experienced by the more rustic variety – Crâmpoșia. For other Romanian varieties, the areas remained similar.
International varieties remained, for the most part, within similar cultivated surfaces to those recorded in the last three years. More significant variations were recorded for the Aligote variety, with a decrease of almost 80 hectares, but also for Merlot, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Italian Riesling, whose cultivation areas decreased slightly, by only 30-40 hectares each.
As a novelty in recent years, the preferences of Romanian producers have turned towards less popular varieties in Romania, but which can have more interesting results in the terroirs where they are cultivated. Thus, the Syrah variety increased by 28 hectares, Viognier almost doubled its area, from 27 to 43 hectares, Rhein Riesling increased by almost 70 hectares, and Cabernet Franc gained another 23 hectares, from 145 to a total of 168 hectares.
About Wines of Romania
Wines of Romania is a 100% private project, strongly anchored in the sustainable development of the local and international success of Romanian wine. Founded by Marinela Ardelean, a wine expert and co-organizer of the RO-WINE festival, the Wines of Romania platform represents a digital universe dedicated to native wines, wine lovers, buyers, producers, and investors.
