Umbrele, Sauvignon Blanc, Vilie Timisului, Romania, 2023

Producer Overview

In 1988, three families came together to invest in a winery in Romania, starting with 650 hectares of neglected vineyards and a dilapidated, former state-owned winery. However, Englishman Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira transformed the Cramele Recas Estate into Romania's most successful winery.

Today, Recas is known worldwide for its impressive array of wines, including natural and orange wines made from organic grapes. Despite its scale, the focus remains on crafting wines that consistently exceed expectations, leading to booming sales and growing demand.

The estate features a blend of ancient plantings dating back to 1447 alongside newer vineyards, while the winery has undergone significant investment to ensure state-of-the-art facilities that foster innovation. Recas stands out as a modern, dynamic winery that is truly hard to overlook.

Viticulture

The vineyards are densely planted on hilly terrain surrounding the winery at an altitude of 100 meters, with vines averaging 10 years of age. Trained using the Guyot system, drip irrigation is only used when absolutely necessary, but it is not a common practice every year.

Winemaking

The grapes are harvested at night to preserve their coolness before being crushed and destemmed. They pass through a must-chiller before reaching the press, where pressings and free-run fractions are separated for fermentation. The juice is clarified via flotation and then transferred to stainless steel tanks to ferment at 10-15°C for 2 to 3 weeks. After fermentation, the wine is centrifuged and cold-stabilized before being blended, filtered, and bottled.

Tasting Notes

This Sauvignon Blanc showcases vibrant flavours of passion fruit, tangerine, and gooseberry, offering a graceful and elegant profile with a lively mouthfeel and medium body. The crisp acidity enhances the wine's elegance, and the flavours linger pleasantly on the finish.

Food Pairing

Ideal with fish, chicken, and fresh summer salads.

Technical Details

• Grape Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

• ABV: 11%

• Closure: Screw Cap

• Colour: White

• Style: Still Wine

• Case Size: 6 x 75cl

• Oak Aging: No oak aging.