Off the Beaten Path with Zoltan Szabo in Bucharest (Romania): Restaurant Casa Doina

We were all extremely pleased at the conclusion of the Romanian Wine Tasting at Wine With Me. The tasting had been insightful, impactful, entertaining, and educational and revealed the high-quality embodied in specific Romanian wines. 

But we were on an off-the-beaten-path quest so Zoltan, Daniel, and I took leave of our fellow tasters and headed off into the wild unknown. Zoltan was keeping the itinerary close to his vest so I generally found out where we were going when we got there. That schema was working so far so I was not concerned. We finally pulled up at Restaurant Casa Doina.

The structure housing the restaurant was originally the Romanian Pavilion at Paris' Universal Art Gallery of 1889. The design is a mashup of a Romanian aristocratic house of the period combined with Seville and Alhambran architectural elements. The architect, Ian Mincu, is considered to be one of the founders of the Romanian architectural style.

At the conclusion of the Paris show, the structure was recreated in Bucharest and named Bufetul de la Sosea (The Street Tavern) in 1892. The building is classified as an Architectural Monument. Restaurant Casa Doina has called it home since 2003.

Casa Doina combines traditional Romanian cuisine with robust international offerings in a beautiful garden setting in order to provide customers "the opportunity to enjoy exquisite meals" in a "picturesque outdoor environment." 

The setting was absolutely stunning as I wended my way through the gardens to our seat location. My head was on a swivel as my eyes feasted on the ambience.

After a quick perusal of the menu, we decided to go full Romanian. I folded up my menu and placed myself squarely in the hands of my tablemates. We began with a Starter Medley which, when it arrived, had me questioning my decision. It was huge. And it was only the starter. I was unsure as to whether I would be able to negotiate this dish and a main course as well. After a lot of bobbing and weaving, I was able to exit the starter phase with my dignity -- and a portion of my appetite -- intact. 

Zoltan described the main course thusly on his Facebook page:"My friend and I having tachiturǎ moldoveneascǎ with murǎturi and other tasty old school Romanian classics for lunch at the nicest and oldest, architecturally stunning Restaurant Casa Doina ..." If you know, you know. This dish was weighty.

According to Wikipedia, "Tochitura is a traditional Romanian and Moldovan dish made from pork cut into small cubes and cooked over a low fire in their own fat and juices, generally in a cast-iron pot. It is traditionally served with over-easy eggs and mǎmǎlugǎ (polenta) with or without tomato sauce and can also be made from beef, lamb or chicken. The traditional Romanian dish contains not only meat; it includes parts of the internal organs of the animal ... tied together. It is served with polenta and a salty sheep's cheese." Below is my example as served.

Tochiturǎ Moldoveneascǎ 

Murǎturi (Pickled vegetables)

During the course of the meal I was constantly regaled with stories of the history and geography of the foods that were in front of us, the wines that we were drinking, the country broadly speaking, the occupation period, etc. These guys were loads of fun.

Daniel, the Author, and Zoltan at Casa Doina

So Zoltan had promised me unique, off-the-beaten-track experiences. And he was delivering. But not only were these things/places off the beaten track, they were damn good. And we had just gotten started.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Off the Beaten Path with Zoltan Szabo in Bucharest (Romania): The wines tasted at Wine With Me

I have previously detailed the background of my "Off-the-Beaten-Path" excursion with Zoltan Szabo in Bucharest and the setting for our first event, a tasting at Wine With Me. I herein describe the wines and the tasting.

Once were were directed to our seats, Emil Popescu rolled out a map oh the Romanian wine regions and launched into a 10-minute discussion of same. This was, of course, mostly for my benefit as the other participants were all well-versed on the topic. He did a phenomenal job, by the way.

Emil Popescu, owner of Wine With Me,
kicking off the proceedings 

Once the the regional discussion was completed, Emil turned to the wines. I have prepared the following chart to show the population of wines that were on offer. The underlying map was sourced from crameromania.ro while the information on the wines were gleaned from producer websites. The websites that I visited were, with a few exceptions, rich with flowery language and historical allusions but vitiviniculturally poor. The may meet the cultural needs of the country but do not step up to the plate in terms of serving the wine-related information needs of a curious prospect.

A total of 14 wines were tasted: three sparkling, four whites, six reds, and one sweet. Eleven of the 14 wines had at least one stablemate included in the tasting. 

In describing the wine choices, Zoltan stated thusly:

Knowing that my guest will spend a couple of days in Dealu Mare, and will get to assess plenty of the mainstream-style wines, those ... tasted together are different ... they come from Crişana - Simleu Silvaniei and Tǎrnave in Transylvania, Silagiu in Banat, Drǎgǎșani in Oltenia, Cotnari in Moldova ... from cooler climatic zones, different terroirs altogether. 

Although there were two Dealu Mare estates in the lineup -- Dagon and Davino -- they do possess exquisite vineyard sites, higher up on the hills. I even showed a short video of the nearly 60-year-old Feteascǎ Albǎ wines of Dagon and the higher altitude positioning of Davino, the winery itself and the vineyards. The location of the vineyards and the source of the grapes in Dealu Mare are key factors; the higher up on the hillside, the better, obviously, as there is much greater drainage of both water and air.

I must point out that even though only two Dealu Mare producers were included in the tasting, they provided four of the 14 wines, more than a quarter of the total tasting.

Sparkling Wines

The Sparkling wines tasted are illustrated below. Tasting notes in this, and the following sections, are Zoltan's take on the wines.

Podgoria Silvania classic method 2020 Blanc de Blanc and 2023 Cuvée Brut Nature. Zoltan saw both of these wines as "truly impressive." He continues, "The progress and evolution of quality that I have witnessed at this estate in the last 7 - 8 years  is admirable ..."

He saw the Casa de Vinuri Cotnari Grasǎ de Cotnari 2018 Brut as "opulent and refined" with the 5 years on the lees adding structure and depth.

This was the first time I had tasted the Grasǎ de Cotnari and I found myself more attuned to the Silvania wines. I have tasted a number of Sparkling wines around the world that use the traditional method and the traditional grapes and these wines were not dissimilar in quality to their peers. 

White Wines

The white wines are pictured below.

The Dagon Estate 2024 Via Secretǎ is made from Feteascǎ Alba -- and old Romanian indigenous variety -- grown on clay terraces. Dagon is itself a boutique winery specializing in small-batch productions. Zoltan found this wine to be 'very pretty, fresh, and succulent."

 

Avincis had three wines in the tasting, one white and two reds. The white was the 2024 Crǎmpoşie Selecționatǎ, a wine made from a hybrid of the same name with its origins in the Crǎmposie and Gordan varieties. The wine was "great in its simplicity and individuality. Firm and zesty and highly food versatile."

Diamant 2021 is the fruit of the labor of Crama Villa Vinèa, a two-decades-old enterprise located in the town of Mica in the heart of the broader Transylvania region. The wine is a barrel-aged blend of Feteascǎ Alba and Feteascǎ Regala and was viewed as Burgundian, more specifically, Meursault-like, by Zoltan. I concurred with his Burgundian assessment and sought to nudge him over to Puligny-Montrachet territory. The best of the whites for me.

The Dagon Estate 2023 Clearstone is made from Feteascǎ Alba grapes grown on 40-year-old vines sited on 0.9 ha of limestone-rich hillside soils. According to Zoltan, "complex, a textbook (reference) of the variety."

Zoltan in awe of the wines on offer

Red Wines

The Avincis reds (we encountered the white previously) were the 2023 Alutus Primus Vila Dobruşa and the 2023 Negru de Drǎgǎşani, both wines the product of variety crosses. The Alutus Primus is a cross between the Romanian variety Bǎbeascǎ Neagra and the Georgian Saperavi while the Negru de Drǎgǎşani is a cross between Negru Vartos and Saperavi or Bǎbeascǎ Neagra.The Alutus Primus was "smoky, inky, and fairly powerful" while he loved the Negru de Drǎgǎşani because "it reminded him of a southern Rhone Syrah and Grenache blend."

The Casa de Vinuri Cotnari 2022 Castel Vlǎdoianu is a 100% Feteascǎ Neagrǎ wine whose gentle extraction was manifested in "cool climate elegance and balance and juicy acidity."

Agape artǎ&naturǎ is a boutique winery which utilizes biodynamic techniques in its farming and winemaking practices. Its 2022 Vorba is a Feteascǎ Neagrǎ which Zoltan tabs as being in possession of "finesse and purity" and being "Pinot-esque." It was one of his favorite wines.

The Dagon Estate Got Merlot 2020 is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% old vine Feteascǎ Neagrǎ, with the Merlot drawn from the "best bunches from sandy parts of the vineyard." This practice is at odds with the best Merlot wines of the world which tend to be grown on clay-dominant soils. Zoltan saw this as a "blockbuster" and beating "many of the California counterparts." Rather than California, I think that, after the Right Bank of Bordeaux, the standard shifts to Italian Merlots, with Tuscany and Friuli being especially relevant. Merlot is my favorite red grape but this wine needs to "body up" and lengthen its finish in order to compete with non-Masseto, non-Miani Merlots. 

The Davino Flamboyant 2016 was the wine of the tasting for me. Everything about this estate cooks. Its website is a fount of information, material relevant to someone seeking to understand the physical environment within which the grapes are grown, the characteristics of the estate, and its winemaking process. Right there. In the open for all to see.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (20%) and Feteascǎ Neagrǎ (10%). The wine is aged for 30 months in 88% new Romanian oak barrels. Zoltan saw it as "just like a terrific Super Tuscan but even better." I loved the body, the aromas, the flavors, and the length. Fresh and palate-enveloping with many, many more years in the tank.

Sweet Wine

The single sweet wine in the tasting was Casa de Vinuri Cotnari 2018 Grasǎ de Cotnari Vinoteca. This wine is made from the Grasǎ de Cotnari grape. I found this wine to be highly aromatic, and rich and tasty on the palate. Zoltan: "Harmonious and tasty. Just lovely. Among the best late harvest wines in Europe."

Reflections

Beautifuly organized and effectively executed tasting. First off, there were no dogs among these wines. Extremely high quality wines that encourages the further exploration of the country's offerings. My favorite wine overall was the Davino Flamboyant and I was shocked at the relatively low cost-to-value ratio associated with this offering (and the ratio was similarly unbalanced for all of the other wines in the tasting). In other words, Romanian wines, at least the ones in this tasting, are good value purchases.

The participation from the peanut gallery was robust and energizing. The discussions accompanying each tasted wine were insightful and lent heft and enjoyment to the proceedings. "Twas a credit to Zoltan that he was able to get the quality of wine available at such short notice and such a heavyweight group together to participate.

During the course of the tasting, Zoltan called each of the producers and, with one exception, they answered his calls. The person who did not answer initially called back within 10 minutes. So not only were we able to taste their wines real time, we were able to listen to their explanations as to what they were trying to accomplish with each of the offerings and to ask them questions. Flex.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme