sâmbătă, 26 mai 2012

The best Romanian Red


Since a short time I found my favorite Romanian Red Wine. It was really like a fire, like a love at first sight (or first taste).
I was sitting at a barbeque, which is one of the favorite occupations of the Romanians during their spare time. And one of the other guests started talking and talking about a special Red wine. Man, you are talking too much, about that Red Wine, I reckoned and then suddenly expressed him it. He was happy, he was deep relieved and brought 2 liter of Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Samburesti.

It was really red, almost black (I suspect to contain also a quarter of Malbec), but comparing with other Romania's Cabernet Sauvignon it was far away. It was genuine, it was special, it was an original and a winner.

The vineyard of Samburesti has a long, special legendary tradition. It lies on the hills, near the river Olt and near the mountains, which chill all the climate. The soil is also very special, consisting on stones and boulders, which permit the grapes a slowly maturation during nights, when liberate the minerals!

This wine is almost black, like coal, due to the very special minerals circulating through that soil, coming perhaps from another time. This wine is very serious, almost solemn like a war declaration. This wine is also cobby and arogant like a Middle Age senior. This wine has a fantastic color of a black angel. In what is concerning color, it has no rival in Romania, you can be sure.


It has a tough stony flavor of a savage animal, or of a reindeer moss growing on red stones. It wraps first the mouth with an amazing vegetable  sensation of an unknown fruit growing on ice. Then he sits thoroughly deploying all his force and occupying all your thoughts for weeks. After drinking this fantastic wine, for a few weeks you are going to wake up confused,  leaking your dried lips, and dreaming at this aristocratic wine crossing  your blood vessels. As long you did not drink this wine, it is useless for me trying desperately to describe it. We simply don't speak the same language. So come, book and drink and you'll be able to understand this wine and Romania.





sâmbătă, 19 mai 2012

Romanian Special


In Romania there a lot of habits, superstitions, myths and legends linked to wine. The explanation is very simple: during more than 2000 years of drinking wine the folklore added a lot of legends to this habit. Please don't think that all the Romanians are addicted drinkers; on the contrary, many of them are very sober, but nevertheless they drink at least one glass wine at every table!

And the benefits of this treatment are scientifically proven: 2 glasses of wine daily make the life longer. And much nicer, I would say!!

If those two glasses are of red wine, that make the men much more stronger during the love nights. It is thought, that the red wine is very useful for the ladies, when drunken by the men! Compare with the effects of the beer, anyone can make the difference.

Aditionally, the almighty orthodox church during all the important services (nuptials, funeral,baptism) uses the wine as an imagine of the God's blood.


And in spring, usually in May, there is a very interesting tradition, VINUL PELIN or in English ABSINTH. Be sure that the translation loses something, but it is very useful for your primary orientation! And in order to understand the loss through translation, I give you a wider explanation ! The drink is based too on absinth (Artemisia absinthium L.) which is told to have miraculous curing strength against bad spirits. It is also very useful for healing liver and stomach diseases, eye diseases etc. But again about absinth: The Romanians don't baptise the absinth with alcohol first, as Pernot does, neither associate it with other plants getting the Vermouth, like the Italians.
 
 Here is the recipe, to be more concrete: take 48 litres medium dried wine (half red, half wine, the wine shouldn't be stronger than 11 degrees!). Add to this wine 1 hand of dried absinth, 1kg of dried apples, 1kg of dried quinces and 1 kg of dried pear and also one hand of flowers from wormseed (Artemisia maritima). Allow this mix to rest for 15 days in a full vessel, and afterwards get out the absinth and the wormseed. Allow than to rest another 2 months and you'll get a very good and fine absinth. Which is nothing else than a flavored sweet sour appetizer which must be drunken with sobriety, as it serves also as an excellent introduction for other more refined wines!

Enjoy your drink!





duminică, 13 mai 2012

THE BEST ROMANIAN WINES



There is always a matter of individual taste, but also a matter of collective judgement. Someone might like the white wines, another stays for reds. In addition  comes the preparation ways, e.g. dry, medium dry and sweet with all their variations.

Another issue of individual taste: younger wine or older wines ( only a few wines can be drinked if older than 10 years). If you are tough indeed and if you know the basics about Romania and its wines, you can prefer one of its vineyards: Cotnari, Panciu-Odobesti, Murfatlar, Dealu Mare, Recas, Minis or even a special year.


But what about the vine varieties? Well, with any risk, but this is a long discussion, but we ought to have it! Thanks. First, there are the well known international varieties, needing no further presentation: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Ottonel, Riesling,Aligote, Hamburg Muscat, Chardonnay,Merlot,Cabernet Sauvignon. It was not easy adapting these varieties to the Romanian special conditions, but the tradition is now already 100 years old ! You will be maybe deep surprised drinking some of the best glasses of these noble assortment here in Romania, but I tell you that is normal!

Second, there are some traditional varieties, whose tradition goes 2000 years ago! They are rich, and tasty, they are very impressive, and you must prepare your visit and tasting in Romania knowing something about them:
1. Babeasca (Old Maid wine) is available in white and red.
2.Feteasca (Young Girl wine) also available in white and red.
According to the age of your partner, you should make the selection between Babeasca and Feteasca!
3.Cramposie
4.Frangusa
5.Sarba
I wasn't able to find any translation, and I am deeply sorry for it. Better drink and define them finding some similar with yours usually wines!



And finally something for the conaisseurs: there are some excellent old wines here around, starting with the collection of the former Romanian dictator Ceausescu (a wine afficionado, among others)! Also, in some secret hidden places you can find something really special: Aligote Bucium 1986; Pinot Noir Minis 1994; Cabernet Sauvignon Murfatlar 1937 (sic); Cadarca Minis 1970; Chardonnay Murfatlar 1938,1962, 1964; Merlot Murfatlar 1970; Sarba Valea Calugareasca 1970 etc. Cheers, dear friends, you are waited in Romania!


duminică, 6 mai 2012

Best season for drinking wine


There are no special indications for drinking wines, only some do's and don'ts for every season, even for every month if you wish! But forget the theory, all you need is practice.

Maybe one of the best times for drinking wine is winter, ask the Russians or other people from the extreme North or South (nevertheless some of them prefer vodka or other spirits!). Briefly, drinking wine in winter is one of my favorite things to do in that season! Imagine that you live in a remote place, which is isolated from the outer world due to strong snow falls! But you still have some provisions for eat, and a full cellar! Charming, isn't it? If you want, or really need to warm up, you can boil the wine, against any regulations! Of course you will lose some tastes and some important fractions, but you will not freeze at least. I organized a tasting in January and we should remain in a cellar two days long. It was nicer than I could ever describe!



Drinking wine in spring has also a special charm, mainly in April and May. Maybe the best time for tasting, if done in open air. Admire the growing grass, observe the lambs, it is a miracle which you must feel. Make your full of energy and feel your chakras opening! Eat spicy goat cheese and you'll never forget this event all your life long.



Summer is may be too hot for drinking wine, will you say. I agree, over 40 degrees Celsius you should avoid any alcohol consumption. But if you go in a cellar, as I always do on my summer tastings, is a completely different thing! The temperature is now bearable, perhaps even too low, be careful not to catch cold! The glass of wine has some drops of condensed water on it, due to low temperature. You can forget the outer heat, relax and enjoy the moment, which is really unforgettable.


But what about drinking wine in autumn? Really excellent, if doubled with the vintage. You can stay longer, a few days, or weeks, take a treatment based on grapes and young wine, which has excellent consequences on your health. And as a daily supplement, a tasting of the older wines! Does it sound attractive to you or not?

Briefly, every season is good for drinking wine and enjoying life. Every month, every day. Stop wasting time, drink daily wine! Wait for your comments, if you agree this approach.
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