Wine tour of Romania, Dealu Mare region

Detailed tour information

July 2nd: arrival

You will arrive in Bucharest and you will be transferred to a hotel near the airport where you will spend the first night so the next morning we are quick to depart from Bucharest.

Sparkling wines, Peles castle and the first reds

From Bucharest we will head North towards Azuga, home to a century old cellar built in the mountains. Here they make sparkling wines by the traditional method. You will learn about the process and about the very interesting story of the cellar and you will get to try 3 of their best sparkling wines. You will also have lunch here.

In the afternoon you will visit one of Romania’s most beautiful castles called Peles from Sinaia, built in 1870s by the king of German origins so the castle will remind you of other Bavarian castles.

In the evening you will arrive at the hotel where you will spend the next 3 nights. The son in law of the hotel owners is a wine maker so you will get to try the wines he makes together with dinner cooked by his family.

Drive time: 4 hours

July 4th celebration & biking trip

You will celebrate the 4th of July in a novel way. You will have wine for lunch and dinner but that is not all. You are invited to discover the wine region beyond its cellars and vineyards. And one of the best ways to do it is by bike. So we propose a 15 mile trip through the vineyards, villages and countryside which will include visits to a local barrel maker, a wonderful traditional manor and a stop by an orchard to pick up and eat the seasons’ fruit. Half way through the trip you will try the wines of another local winery and have lunch there. In the evening you will enjoy besides the wine and dinner also the music of a local band and fireworks!

Those who cannot or don’t want to bike will be transferred by minibus.

Visit 3 of the best vineyards from Dealu Mare region

The story of wine-making in Romania is millennia old but what happened in the last 65 years is particularly interesting. During the 40 years of Communist rule most wineries where nationalized and the focus was on producing high volumes of low quality wine to be exported in exchange for foreign currency. Romania is a democratic country for 25 years now and the land was claimed back by the families who owned it before WW2 . In the past 5-10 years there is a surge in how many of the old vineyards are being replanted. Since joining the European Union in 2007 there a lot of funds available for establishing modern wineries so now there are also the latest technologies available for making great wines.

You will find out for yourself by visiting on this day 3 of the best wineries from Dealu Mare region the developments which are happening in this field, the technologies used and most importantly the quality of the wines now being produced in Romania. As a sign that the region has potential you will notice the interest of foreign investors by visiting wineries established or owned by Italian, Austrian, French or English companies who work with both Romanian and foreign oenologists.

Lunch and dinner will be at two wineries where their wines will be paired with local food.

Last sip of red wine & departure

The last winery you will visit is owned by the Italian Marquis Piero Antinori who comes from a family with a tradition of making wines for 6 centuries in Tuscany. He is one of the many foreigners who’ve seen the potential for making great wines in Romania. You will try the wines they make and have a snack before heading to the airport in Bucharest and back home.