Calusari, Sauvignon Blanc, Viile Timisului, Romania, 2024

Producer Profile

Back in 1988, three families decided to invest in a winery in Romania, starting with 650ha of slightly unloved vineyards and a rusty, formerly state-owned winery. Today, Englishman Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira have turned the Cramele Recas Estate into the most successful winery in Romania.

Recas are now recognized globally for their impressive scale and breadth of fascinating wines, including natural and orange wines made from organic grapes. Despite the increase in scale, the emphasis remains on making quality wines that over-deliver – a magic formula that has recently seen sales boom. The vineyards are a combination of old vines and more recent plantings, and the winery has seen significant investment in state of the art facilities. Recas are in every way a modern, dynamic winery whose open-minded approach and quality sets them apart… a winery you can’t ignore.

Viticulture

Vines are densely planted on the vineyards surrounding the winery, and are just getting into their stride with an average age of 10 years.

Winemaking

Grapes are mostly machine harvested which ensures that they are brought into the winery quickly to preserve the varieties vibrant character; approx 10% is hand harvest. Upon arrival at the winery they are destemmed, crushed and immediately cooled to 8°C. The grapes are then pressed in a vacuum press under nitrogen to prevent oxidation, before being transferred to settle naturally for 24 hours until completely clear and bright. The juice is then inoculated with selected yeast, with fermentation in stainless steel at very low temperatures between 8 and 10°C for 25 days, before a final clarification and immediate bottling.

Tasting Note

Deliciously zesty, with passion fruit, tangerine and more classic gooseberry aromas. The palate is nicely balanced with tropical fruit, juicy acidity and finishing with a persistent, elegant citrus zing.

Food Matching

Serve with grilled chicken kebabs, pesto pasta, and lighter salads. Deliciously versatile and a natural crowd-pleaser.