Calusari, Sauvignon Blanc, Viile Timisului, Romania, 2024

Producer Profile

Back in 1988, three families decided to invest in a winery in Romania, starting with 650 hectares of slightly unloved vineyards and a rusty, once state-owned winery.

Yet Englishman Philip Cox and his Romanian wife Elvira, have turned the Cramele Recas Estate into the most successful winery in Romania. Recas are now recognised globally for their impressive scale and breadth of fascinating wines, including natural and orange wine from organic grapes. Despite the scale the emphasis is on making good wines that over-deliver, and as a result they’ve struck on a magic formula that has seen sales and demand boom. Vineyards are a combination of evolved plantings from 1447 and more recent planting, whilst the winery has seen significant investment and boasts state of the art facilities where innovation thrives. Recas are in every way a modern, dynamic winery, whose open-minded approach and quality sets them apart … a winery you really 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.