RELATIONSHIPS
Romania Overview: Perspectives for Comparison
Read geography, grape resources, and production processes separately.
Inside the mountains
Transylvania.
Outside the mountains
Moldova, southern and western hills.
Rivers and sea
Danube terraces, sandy soils, Dobrogea.
This is a schematic diagram summarizing the main text. It does not represent production areas or quality rankings. Sources and reference materials
FIELD NOTE 01
Using mountains as the axis
On the inner side of the Carpathians lies Transylvania; east is Moldova, to the south are Muntenia and Oltenia. To the west are Banat, Crișana, and Maramureș; Dobrogea extends to the southeast. Before memorizing the names, grasp which side of the mountains they are on.
FIELD NOTE 02
Eight growing regions
Official divisions are: Transylvanian Plateau, Moldavian Hills, Muntenia-Oltenia Hills, Banat Hills, Crişana-Maramureş Hills, Dobrogea Hills, Danube Terraces, and sand plains in the south. Note that these may differ from tourism regions.
FIELD NOTE 03
Study both white and red
The white of Târnave, red of Dealul Mare, and sweet wines of Cotnari serve as entry points. However, even in cool uplands, red wines are produced, and regions known for sweet wines also have dry and sparkling wines. After learning representative examples of each region, proceed to wines that cannot be explained by just those examples.
They are not necessarily the same. Officially, Muntenia and Oltenia are grouped together, while southern sandy soils may also be classified separately.
PAUSE & REFLECT
Check your understanding.
Are the numbers of historical place names and official vineyard regions always the same?
Read the explanation ＋
They are not necessarily the same. Officially, Muntenia and Oltenia are grouped together, while southern sandy soils may also be classified separately.
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View saved notes →Sources and reference materials
These are the reference materials for the main text. For details of production regulations, consult the current documents. For individual wine specifications, refer to materials for the relevant vintage.
- ONVPV: Classification of growing regions, updated 2022 ↗
- Jidvei: Târnave vineyards and grape varieties ↗
- ONVPV: Dealu Mare DOC Specifications, including 2022 updates ↗
- ONVPV: Cotnari DOC Specifications ↗