Visit and tasting at Crama Budureasca (Dealu Mare, Romania)

Our second day in Dealu Mare was greeted with great anticipation. We had visited some interesting wineries on the previous day and had closed out with a stellar Feteascǎ Neagrǎ Masterclass. We were pumped.

We were scheduled to visit the Budureasca estate and, after a short ride, arrived and were welcomed by Liviu Birceanu, the establishment's Sommelier.

Liviu Birceanu,
Budureasca's Sommelier

After a round of introductions, Liviu launched into a description of the history of the estate. 

History

During the communist period, the current estate was part of a 1400 - 1800-ha vineyard whose focus was on quantity rather than quality and whose product was shipped on to the USSR in railcars.

Budureasca was founded in 2006 when its shareholders bought 275 ha from the owner(s) of the larger vineyard. In Liviu's view, the shareholders had two reasons for buying: (i) the cost of entry was relatively low, with significant upside potential and (ii) they thought this would make for a great hobby. In short order they realized that winemaking on that scale was not an arena for hobbyists; competent day-to-day management was a requirement. They set out in search of a winemaker; and found Stephen Donnelley.

Stephen is from Newcastle (England) but completed his wine studies at UC Davis in the US. After working in the US for 2 years as a Junior Winemaker, Stephen moved on to work in Stellenbosch in South Africa. He came to Romania asa Consultant in 1995 and was so impressed by the potential of the place that he bought a small winery. After 10 years things were not progressing the way that he wanted them to so he was open to doing something else when the Budureasca shareholders came calling.

At this time Liviu paused to pour us some Methode Champenoise Sparkling wine made at the estate from the Feteascǎ Albǎ variety. The wine spent 1 month on lees. Tasty.

Now back to the story. Once the operational aspect was locked down, management turned to the vineyards. They commissioned a study by an Italian company which found the terroir to be of high quality but were concerned as to the state of the vines. The upshot of the investigation was that only 15 ha of vineyards were good enough to take the estate to the quality level that they were pursuing; fully 90% of the vines would have to be replanted. The replanting (funded by the EU) began in 2019 and three years later was still going strong.

One of the outcomes of the Italian study was a clear understanding of the terroirs and soil types encompassed within the boundaries of the estate. The (a) part of the figure below shows the vineyard map while the (b) section captures the soil types involved therein.

With this detailed knowledge of the soil types and terroirs, the enterprise was able to plant varieties in areas to which they were best suited.This deployment of varieties by soil type is illustrated in the vineyard map above. The vines planted included both indigenous and international varieties.

             Indigenous Varieties                                               International Varieties

Feteascǎ Neagrǎ	Cabernet Sauvignon
Feteascǎ Regalǎ	Chardonnay
Feteascǎ Albǎ	Merlot
Tǎmǎioasǎ Romǎneascǎ	Muscat Ottonel
Busiuosca de Bohoten	Pinot Gris
	Pinot Noir
	Riesling
	Sauvignon Blanc
	Shiraz

Approximately 45% of the surface area is planted to white grapes -- illustrating the uniqueness of the vineyard -- when the DOC is predominantly red. The high percentage of white grapes grown here maps to the Romanian population preferences as more white wines than red are drunk in-country. 

The vineyard is farmed organically.

Infrastructure

The building on the property has its upper floor dedicated to the Tasting Room, Lab, Observation platforms, and offices. The lower level is fully dedicated to production. The Lab is the most sophisticated one in the Dealu Mare region and is certified by the government to provide analytical services to neighboring wineries. The winery has capacity for production and storage of 3.2 million liters within the building and 1.1 million liters outside.

Production

Premium grapes are hand-harvested during daylight hours while entry-level grapes are machine-harvested at whatever time is deemed appropriate. Grapes are destemmed and red ones are subjected to an ultrasound treatment in order to ensure that the maximum amount of flavor/color are extracted from the skin during the fermentation and maceration processes (With shortened growing seasons, the phenolics in the skin are not as accessible as they would have been with an additional month of "hang time.").

After fermentation, the wines are sent to barrel or stainless steel storage.

Tasting

At the conclusion of his presentation, Liviu led us on a tasting of selected Budureasca wines. We began with a 2025 Sauvignon Blanc. This had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc nose with gooseberry, lime skin and grapefruit showing. Minerality, acidity on the palate. Long, bitter finish.

The next wine was the 2025 Tǎmǎioasǎ Romǎnescǎ. This wine is from the Muscat family. Lychee, Gewurtztraminer, honeycomb on the nose. Complex, layered nose. Lime, sweet fruit, tree bark, and a metallic minerality on the palate. Marine characteristic. Long mineral finish.

We also tasted a 2023 Feteascǎ Neagrǎ. The vines for this variety were planted in 1987 -- these were some of the old school vines. Great clean nose with sweet fruit and fudge in the background. Austere in comparison to other FNs I have tasted on this trip. Good acidity. Fresh. Drying on the palate.

The Noble Five is a wine made from Pinot Noir, Feteascǎ Neagrǎ, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The only note I recorded for this was dark fruits.

The Rosé was made from Merlot and Pinot Noir and had 24 hours skin contact. It was off-dry. Strawberry and roses on the nose. Carries through on the palate.

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One of the more comprehensive visits we had had up to that time. The establishment had secured some EU funds to assist with the launch and they have spent it well. The surroundings are immaculate and the wines are of good quality. Liviu did an excellent job in detailing the history and operational environment of the estate.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Visit and tasting at Domeniul Aristite (Dealu Mare, Romania)

My coverage of the wineries visited during our #winelovers 14th Anniversary Celebration in Dealu Mare will not follow any specific order. That being said, I relate our visit to Domeniul Aristite (English translation Aristite's Domain) in this post.

We arrived at the estate a little after 10:00 am and were introduced to our host for the visit, the winemaker Tudor Cristian. We met Tudor in the courtyard and he immediately launched into the story of the estate.

Tudor flanked by Karin and Iulian

The estate is located in Valea Cǎlugǎreascǎ in Nicovam Village (Later on in our conversation Tudor talked about Valea Nicovani having been a part of the town since the 15th century and having a grape growing and winemaking tradition that stretches even further back.).

The estate had historically belonged to the Bijou family but was expropriated by the authorities in 1947. It was returned to the family heirs in 1989 and they, in turn, sold it to Bianca Ionitǎ who named her purchase in honor of her mother Adina Aristita Ionitǎ.

The current estate is comprised of 4 ha of vineyards -- planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Feteǎsca Neagrǎ, and Cabernet Sauvignon -- and a boutique winery with production capacity of 100,000 liters.

Our next stop was at the receiving area. Grapes are hand-selected and destemmed here prior to transit into the cellar for traditional red and white wine fermentation.

After a tour of the cellar, we repaired to the tasting/dining room for snacks and tasting of three wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, and Feteǎsca Neagrǎ.

The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc was yellow-green in color and showed sweet white fruit, lime, a sage-lychee-gewurtz note, and minerality on the nose. High acidity along with lime, salinity, a bitter character and clayey minerality on the palate. Peppery, mineral finish. These notes are not characteristic of a cold-weather Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2024 Rosé is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with approximately 2 hours of skin contact. Sweet red fruit on the nose along with a creaminess, mint and spice. I felt that it was too sweet on the attack for a high-quality Rosé. Mineral with a drying sensation at the end.

The 2023 Feteǎsca Neagrǎ soent 14 months in Romanian oak barrels. Black licorice, smoke, and tomato on the nose. High-toned. Juicy black fruit, plums, red pepper, and minerality on the palate. Great acidity.

#Winelovers with Tudor

This visit started slowly but increased in intensity over time as the winemaker became more comfortable in his shoes. I especially like the Feteǎsca Neagrǎ, a variety which blipped on my radar at the Wine With Me tasting. 

#MagicalDealuMare26

#WineloverAnniversary14

wineloverromania2026

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

GastroLab (Bucharest, Romania): Off the Beaten Path, with Zoltan Szabo

After a memorable day of food and wine experiences, I was fully convinced that "Off the Beaten Path" (with Zoltan) was the way to go in Bucharest. But now it was Day 2 and my schedule would only allow lunch before I had to turn to my real reason for being in Bucharest: the #Winelovers' 14th Anniversary Celebration.

I met Zoltan and Daniel in the lobby and we were all kind of subdued, a combination, I think, of the effects of the prior day's excess and the sense that a good thing was coming to an end. Once in the car, Daniel sliced through the traffic effortlessly and we were soon looking for parking in the shadow of what he identified as a Romanian government building. We got out of the car and walked onto a plaza into an open courtyard which adjoined a glass-plated interior. The sign in the ceiling identified the establishment as GastroLab.

Zoltan is a high-energy guy but, as we stepped through those doors, his energy went to another level. He seemed to know everyone and there was a lot of hugging and backslapping. He took me on tours of various nooks and crannies and, as we toured through the cellars, it was revealed that he had a history with the place.

There are two instances of GastroLab: One at the Balvanyos Resort in Székely Land and the other in Bucharest at Aviatorilor Boulevard No. 8. The Owner and Wine Curator of the establishment is Lóránd Szarvadi, a childhood friend of Zoltan's. When Zoltan came back to Romania, he worked at the original GastroLab at Balvanyos Resort helping out his "old" friend. When Lóránd decided to open a branch of the restaurant in Bucharest, Zoltan commuted between Székely Land and Bucharest to help set up the wine program at the latter. The Bucharest GastroLab was launched in 2018 and Zoltan stayed on for 5 years during which time the restaurant gained the Wine Spectator's 2 Glass designation.

What exactly is GastroLab and what is its philosophy? The tag line on the company's logo refers to a Wine and Food experience. Beginning with the food aspect, Chef Costel Horga:

We made this menu using old recipes from Moldova, Transylvania and the Szeklerland. We tried to bring a little bit of cuisine from these lands ... where mangalita pork, ... hold the supremacy of authentic taste. Since modern cuisine has no borders, we did not shy away from proposing classic ingredients from all over the world ... We present all these dishes to you, in a way that befits an urban and innovative restaurant.

In re the wine experience, Lóránd describes the program as containing "carefully selected wines that perfectly match our menus, enhancing your culinary experience ... if the wine is correctly paired with the dish, the two will be much tastier than tasted individually. The GastroLab team's dedication is to guide you towards a gastronomic experience by transposing aromas and sensory textures."

After I had fully digested the sights, sounds, and stories of the place, we took our seats. Zoltan was positively glowing and took on the task of ordering our initial drinks.He ordered Csikisor, a Székley Land IPA-style beer and a Székley Land plum brandy Pǎlincǎ.

Then my two companions began a discussion as to what we should eat. They settled on a starter which included "a variety of Transylvanian salamis (including deer and Carpathian Brown Bear); Eggplant; Eggs; amazing butters, lard, and cracklings; fried Mangalica pig's brain; and home-made bread."

Pic courtesy Zoltan

Zoltan's picture showed that we had the 2024 Davino Blanc as our wine with the meal. I am unable to find a description of this wine on the Davino website. They do have a white called Ceptura Blanc, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Feteasca Alba, and Riesling Italico, but it is not clear that this is the same wine.

This starter was quickly followed by Eggplant, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, and mountain trout filets.

The team

Another phenomenal experience. My first time tasting Carpathian Bear. It was brawny. My first time tasting Pig's brain; I held onto the table. Wonderful atmosphere. Wonderful service. Wonderful company. And the food and wine paired admirably.

Well, the time had come to say goodbye to Zoltan and Daniel. And it was difficult. These guys had become like brothers over the past two days: Daniel, the sane, level-headed one; Zoltan ... well who knows. I kid. He is a lot of fun. Thank you guys. Until we meet again.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Off the Beaten Path with Zoltan Szabo in Bucharest (Romania): Soro Lume

The day had already been a rip-roaring success having to its credit the monumental tasting of Romanian wines at Wine With Me, followed by a similarly spectacular traditional Romanian lunch at the historical Restaurant Casa Doina. Now, after a period of rest, we reconvened in the hotel lobby to venture off on the next steps Off the Beaten Path with Zoltan Szabo. Our original team remained intact.

The Team: Daniel Topan, Zoltan Szabo,
and Author
(Picture taken at a subsequent date)

After a fair amount of driving -- and an equal amount of chatter -- we arrived at our destination: Soro Lume. Wanderhog.com describes this locale as "a charming restaurant ... housed in a beautiful neoromanian-style old building ... Owned by Chef Mihai Toader and Melinda Teohari, the restaurant aims to serve delicious open-flame cooked food that changes with the seasons."

On arriving, we walked through a narrow gate into a leafy, open courtyard which terminated at a bar beyond which was an open flame. Zoltan engaged in a meaty hug with someone whom I eventually came to realize was the Chef/Owner Milhai.

After the greetings and salutations in the courtyard, we were led upstairs into a more serene, less light-intense environment. This was the "neoromanian-style old house" of which wanderhog.com had spoken. We were seated in a cozy corner where we could fully soak up the ambience of the environment while still being fully accessible by the wait staff.

Our Sommelier, who, it turned out, would be our guide for the entire evening, asked about drinks to start. After a lengthy discussion -- nothing is easy with these two guys -- we settled on a Pǎlincǎ and beer to start. Of course I had to receive a full education on the drink prior to even picking up the glass to taste the concoction. According to information provided by Daniel,

Pǎlincǎ is Romania's traditional fruit brandy -- strong, authentic and deeply connected to village hospitality. In Translyvania and Maramures, it is offered to guests as a welcome drink ... made from plums, pears or apples and usually enjoyed before a traditional meal."

Zoltan, Author, and Daniel

Pǎlincǎ and beer

The Somm described our upcoming experience as a nine-course tasting menu of Romanian dishes using ingredients from various Romanian territories. "With every dish you will feel the smoky flavor because they are cooked over fire in the outside kitchen." The dishes would include an amuse bouche plus four appetizers, three main courses, and two desserts and would be accompanied by paired wines if we so desired. We also had the option of buying our drinks separately. After some consideration we opted for the paired wine selections.

The courses were deployed as follows.

Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche: Canned cabbage roll
surrounding a cauliflower purée, pickled
green peppers, and Romanian goat cheese.
The white crown is pickled cold Rabé.

Cold Spinach Borsch

The wine that was paired with the Amuse bouche was a PetNat from Crama Ferdi. The wine is called Chef's Choice because of the involvement of Chef Milhai and a Chef from another establishment. The wine was fermented in stainless steel and then aged in oak barrels. After 1.5 months in barrel, hops are added, giving the wine an elderflower aroma.

Wine Pairing for the Amuse Bouche:
Crama Ferdi Sauvage H. Chefs Choice

Appetizers

Appetizer #1: Nettle Stew -- cooked
on a fire and served with a cream
that included macerated cheese and an
emulsion made from wild berries,
radishes, and spring herbs.
Accompanied by bread made at
the restaurant

Wine #2: Prince Stirbey Tǎmǎroasǎ
Romǎneascǎ 2023

The second wine -- Prince Stirbey Tǎmǎroasǎ Romǎneascǎ 2023 -- was paired with the Nettle Stew. According to the Somm, the winery had a lengthy history in the Dragasani region, a history which was disrupted by the requirements of the managed economy. It was reconstituted in its current form in 2001 when a member of the former owning family returned to Romania and restarted a Quality Wine operation. 

The wine, according to the Somm, has a floral smell and aromatic notes, qualities which would stand it in good stead when paired with the dish. Zoltan agreed, insisting that the dish was very smoky and so needed the aromatics to complement. Zoltan was very impressed with the pairing both in terms of the strategy and the results.

Appetizer #2: Polenta boiled in cheese
leftovers then burnt and topped with a
mushroom ketchup. On the side, smoked
sour cream topped with mushroom powder
and sauteed mushrooms

Wine #3: Nachbil Rhine
Riesling

Appetizer #3: Catch of the Season --
Corvina Filet cooked on the fire.
Served on a green sauce and with a leafy
topping which adds acidity to the dish

This was a powerful fish which overwhelmed the palate and the wine. It probably could have spent a little more time under heat. Not my favorite of the dishes tasted that evening.

Appetizer #4: New Cabbage
-- Cabbage cooked on the grill
and topped with a Spring Herb
Sauce. The sauce includes green
onions, green garlic, wild garlic,
spinach, sunflower seeds, and a
reduction made of borsch. Some
spring herbs added.

The New Cabbage dish is 100% vegan and its heightened acidity vis a vis the preceding dishes is intended to serve as a separator between those dishes and the meat dishes to follow. There is no specific wine paired with this dish so we used the Rhine Riesling from the preceding dish. Zoltan thought this was the best pairing that he had had since returning to Romania seven years ago.

Main Courses

Main Course #1: Sheep Loin cooked
on a fire and glazed with a concoction
containing eggplant, eggplant mousse,
chocolate and tomato sauce, and
pickled onions

The dish was paired with a Dagon First Barrel Bǎbeasca Neagrǎ 2025. this wine is similar in body to a Pinot Noir but does not possess the latter's flavor or agability. This wine characteristically shows sour red fruits and is best drunk young. Zoltan mentioned that this light-bodied red would have probably gone well with the previous fish course; the Somm agreed but said he would tell us later why he chose not to go that route.

Wine #4: Dagon First Barrel
Bǎbeasca Neagrǎ, 2025

The second main course is called Fannah and is comprised of beef tongue fried on wood fire served on top of a leek sauce that is made with spring herbs and a demi-glace that is made from olives. This is accompanied by a Grilled Cucumber Salad.

Main Course #2: Fanah -- Beef Tongue
with leeks and olives

Grilled Cucumber Salad

The pairing for the dish was 2020 Syrah reserve from Nachbil, the producer of the Rhine Riesling drunk earlier. According to the Somm, this is the oldest Syrah vine in the country. The wine was aged in 50% first-passage and 50% second-passage oak.

Wine #5: Nachbil Syrah 2022

At about this time, Chef Mihai Toader stopped by to see how things were going and got into a discussion with Daniel about the restaurant cooking process.The upshot was that a dish could be subjected to one or more cooking processes -- charcoal, open fire, smoker, and wood oven -- but, in all cases, beechwood was the fuel source.

Chef Mihai Toader

Main #3: Pork with Cabbage --
Slow-cooked Pork with a Mushroom
Glaze and a wild-garlic emulsion.
Accompanied by a Cabbage Roll with
innards to include Cabbage Pureé and
Pickled Cabbage and with green
(mushroom) and white toppings

This dish was paired with the Davino Rouge 2020. This wine is an equal-parts blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Feteascǎ Neagrǎ. Each variety is fermented and aged separately in 50% first-pass and 50% second-pass oak barriques.

Davino Rouge 2020

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The evening clicked on all cylinders.

Somm, Zoltan, Mihai, Author, and
Daniel at the conclusion of a superb
dinner

First, the locale. The restaurant sits outside the hustle and bustle of the downtown area, a calming effect in its own right. Within the restaurant, a number of seating choices open up to the customer: courtyard seating; the bar fronting the cooking area; or the serenity of upstairs dining.

The staff is courteous and well-attired, with a wealth of training visible in their every action.

Zoltan still cannot stop raving about our Somm. And I am in agreement with him. The young man presented well on a persona level but, beyond that, his knowledge of the dishes and the wine, and how they worked together, was fulsome. His delivery was impeccable. His choice of pairings was perfection, except for the one case that he promised to explain later (he forgot to do same). Zoltan had raised the issue of whether the Dagon Bǎbeasca Neagrǎ would have been a better pairing for the Corvina. That fish had been so strong that we set it aside. 

Outside of the fish, all of the dishes were outstanding. And these were not simple dishes. It was wonderful to see how the Chef weaved these multi-ingredient dishes together, ending up with tasteful, smoke-etched masterpieces. I loved the way he used the vegan dish as the dividing line in the dinner: white-wine-sympathetic dishes before, red-wine dishes after.

The courses were hearty and I can't remember us getting to the desserts. 

Awesome evening that put the Beaten Path to shame.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme