Romania has one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and thousands of years of winemaking. Why is it still so little known abroad?

Natalie MacLean
Nov11th

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Introduction

How can Romania have one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and a winemaking history stretching back thousands of years, yet remain relatively unknown internationally? How did communist rule transform Romania’s once-celebrated wine industry? How does Romania’s geography create such diverse wine-growing conditions?

In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I’m chatting with Anne-Wies Van Oosten.

You can find the wines we discussed here.

 

Giveaway

Three of you are going to win a copy of Anne-Wies Van Oosten’s terrific book, Romanian Wines Uncorked: Your Insider’s Guide to Exploring Romanian Wines.

 

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After that, scroll down a tiny bit more and click on “Write a Review.” That’s it!

I’ll choose three people randomly from those who contact me.

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Highlights

  • Why should wine lovers add Romania to their must-visit list?
  • How do Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, major rivers, and Black Sea coastline create such diverse wine-growing conditions?
  • What makes Transylvania’s wines particularly fresh?
  • How are climate change and changing tastes influencing red, Rosé, and sparkling wines produced in Romania?
  • Why should wine lovers check Romanian wine labels carefully when choosing between dry and traditionally sweeter styles?
  • How can Romania have one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and a winemaking history stretching back thousands of years, yet remain relatively unknown internationally?
  • How did communist rule transform Romania’s once-celebrated wine industry?
  • What role did Romania’s entry into the European Union play in reviving its wine industry?
  • What connections remain between Romania’s ancient winemaking traditions and the indigenous grape varieties grown today?
  • What is the mysterious Golden Medias wine mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula?

 

Key Takeaways

  • How can Romania have one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and a winemaking history stretching back thousands of years, yet remain relatively unknown internationally?
    • Natalie: Romania sits in Europe’s top five for vineyard area, the fifth for grape production, the sixth for wine. Why hasn’t that turned into the equivalent shelf space in Canada or the rest of the world? Why aren’t they exporting more?
    • Anne-Weis: First of all, they drink a lot of wine themselves, so the domestic market is very important. And then, there was the zenith of the communist era. So there was not a possibility to export wines. Only to the communists, to Russia. Only after 1989, when the Communist era was over, people could export more and go abroad and do things by themselves. So it’s kind of a new wine country. It’s just developing still. So I always call it a new old wine country. For a small producer, it’s very difficult to get its way to an importer in a country like Canada.
  • How did communist rule transform Romania’s once-celebrated wine industry?
    • Natalie: You have a line in your book: “Quantity replaced craftsmanship around those decades for Romanian wine.” How long did it take to reverse that? And is it fully repaired, or what do you see?
    • Anne-Weis: We make very good wines. People ask me, do they make nice wines in Romania? And I’m like, do they make nice wines in Italy or do they make wine in Spain? Everywhere are good and bad wines. So it’s Romania. But as I told you, after the communist era, people get back their vineyards and only in 2007 when, we get to the European Union, the borders were open so investors could come, invest in material, in land. They could buy land because that was not possible before that period. Young winemakers went abroad to study and came back with, with knowledge. This all started only 20 years ago.
  • How does Romania’s geography create such diverse wine-growing conditions?
    • Anne-Weis: The most important thing is the Carpathian Mountains. They come from the north, from Ukraine, and they cross the country. The highest peak is, I think, 2500m. But you also have hills, like smaller mountains. And we have, of course, the Black Sea. So there you have a lot of sand, two main rivers, the Danube River and the old River, who are influencing the climate. So it’s a lot of different microclimates.
    • Natalie: And the Carpathian Mountains, do they have any similar effect that say, the Andes would Argentina?
    • Anne-Weis: There’s a protection from extreme weather. And, of course, there’s a lot of forest on the mountains. So that keeps the humidity in the ground. There’s a big difference due to the mountains in day and night temperature. So you have in Transylvania, for instance, because Transylvania is the part inside the Carpathian Mountains. There you have a lot of fresh wines because of this temperature.

 

About Anne-Wies Van Oosten

Anne-Wies is a well-known wine, food, and travel journalist from the Netherlands, currently living in Romania. She obtained the degree Register Vinoloog of the Wine Academy® in the Netherlands, finished the WSET Level 4 Diploma and graduated as Weinakademiker at the Austrian Weinakademie with her thesis about ‘The Development and Future of Wine Tourism in Transylvania’.

She spends part of the year at her home in Transylvania, where she visits Romanian wineries. The other part, she travels the world to visit other wineries and to participate as a member of the jury in international wine competitions.

Every day, she shares her insights and knowledge on wine and food on her platform Anne-Wies.nl and, on a freelance basis, on other websites.

She is very active on social media, on which, amongst others, she shares her articles. On a monthly basis, she reaches over 20.000 Wine & Food lovers from all over the world.

 

Resources

 

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Transcript

Natalie MacLean 00:00:00 How can Romania have one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and winemaking history stretching back thousands of years, yet remain relatively unknown internationally? How did communist rule transform Romania’s once celebrated wine industry? And how does Romania’s geography create such diverse wine growing conditions? In today’s episode, you’ll hear the stories and tips that answer those questions in our chat with an we span Houston. By the end of our conversation, you’ll also discover why wine lovers should add Romania to their must visit list. What makes Transylvania wines particularly fresh? How climate change and changing tastes are influencing red, white, rosé and sparkling wines. The role Romania’s entry into the European played in reviving its wine industry. The connections between Romania’s ancient winemaking traditions and the indigenous grape varieties grown today, and what the mysterious Golden Media swine mentioned in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula actually is. Do you have a thirst to learn about wine? Do you love stories about wonderfully obsessive people, hauntingly beautiful places, and amusingly awkward social situations? Well, that’s the blend here on the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast.

Natalie MacLean 00:01:29 I’m your host, Natalie McLean, and each week I share with you unfiltered conversations with celebrities in the wine world, as well as confessions from my own tipsy journey as I write my third book on this subject. I’m so glad you’re here. Now pass me that bottle, please, and let’s get started. Welcome to episode 415. So what’s new in the drinks world this week in fur, feathers and fermentation. Vineyards in Margaux in Bordeaux recorded a 36% rise in bat activity this year, and 15% more bees over the last decade. Bats hunt the moths that damage grapes. A busier night skies. Good news for growers. In other aviation news, a vineyard owner in Portugal painted the terracotta roof of his cellar bright yellow to attract local barn swallows that feed on vineyard pests. The Aerial Bird Colony now patrols the vineyard canopy every evening, reducing the need for chemical pest traps, and a small family vineyard in the south of France keeps a herd of miniature pigs wandering between the rows of their Grenache. Unlike standard farm pigs, this breed has an upturned snout that prevents them from digging up grapevine roots, allowing them to eat the weeds without harming the vineyard bed.

Natalie MacLean 00:02:54 In the rolling hills of Marlborough, New Zealand. A vineyard manager attached tiny solar powered GPS trackers to the collars of his working border collies. He realised the energetic herding dogs run nearly 40km a day, patrolling the great blocks and keeping local rabbits away from the tender irrigation drip lines. In a remote village in the Republic of Georgia. An 80 year old Cooper still builds giant terracotta clay fermentation vessels completely by hand, without any measuring tools. He taps the wet clay walls with a small wooden mallet, and can tell if the thickness is uniform purely by the pitch of the musical ring. And speaking of music, country singer Dirks Bentleys bourbon, named Trespassers Proof, is aged at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Barrels resting backstage at the Opry have heard more music than most of us. And for your calendar. November 11th, of course, is Remembrance Day, marking the armistice that ended the First World War. The guns fell silent on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, and we pause for a moment of silence at 11 a.m..

Natalie MacLean 00:04:08 It’s also National Sundae Day. The ice cream sundae took shape in American soda fountains in the late 19th century. Several towns claimed to have invented it. Ithaca, New York says Reverend John Scott stopped at Platt and Colt pharmacy after church on Sunday, April 3rd, 1892. Owner Chester Platt topped his vanilla ice cream with cherry syrup and candied cherry for $0.10. The spelling changed later because no one wanted to name a dessert after the Sabbath. Two rivers, Wisconsin, says druggist Edward Berners, served 1 in 1881 to get around a band on Sunday. Ice cream sodas. Two rivers once sent Ithaca a cease and desist court order. Nothing says small town pride like a legal fight with a cherry on top. November 12th is National pizza with the works. Except Anchovies Day, the observance loads of pizza with every topping. Anchovies are the one topping traditionally left off. It may be the only holiday named for what it leaves out. November 12th is National Happy Hour Day. The phrase happy hour is traced to the US Navy around 1913.

Natalie MacLean 00:05:21 Sailors used it for organized entertainment periods aboard battleships. The phrase moved ashore later. November 13th is World Kindness Day. The World Kindness Movement introduced World Kindness Day in 1998. It costs nothing to celebrate. That makes it the cheapest holiday in the calendar, and yet it gives you that feeling that’s priceless. November 14th is National Pickle Day. Historians trace pickling back about 4000 years. Some accounts start in ancient Mesopotamia. Others start with cucumbers in India around 2030 BC. Pickling works by creating an acidic environment that stops many spoilage organisms. The word pickle comes from the Dutch pickle, meaning brine. The day traces back to the Pickle Packers Association. Say that 14 times, Peter. Nobody knew whether the day meant eating pickles or getting pickled. 77 years later, the question is still open now. Pickles are technically fruit because they are made from cucumber, and fruit is a seed bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant. Because cucumbers grow from the flower of the plant and contain seeds inside. Botanists classify them as fruits, specifically a type of pepo, which is a berry with a hard rind.

Natalie MacLean 00:06:47 The pickling process involves a cucumber, of course, that’s been preserved in a brine of vinegar, salt water and spices. It changes the flavor and texture, though it does not change the underlying botanical classification in the kitchen and grocery store. Cucumbers and pickles are treated as vegetables because of their savory taste and use in salads and sandwiches, rather than in sweet desserts. November 15th is National Bundt Day. The bundt pan grew out of traditional European ring shaped cakes. In 1950, Rose Joshua and Fanny Canfield of Minneapolis asked the owner of Nordic ware for a pan to bake their bund cookin. He made it in aluminum, added folds, and trademarked the name bundt. Sales sat flat until 1966. That year, Ella Rita Selfridge of Texas placed second in a Pillsbury contest with her tunnel of fudge cake. No second place finish has ever sold so many pans. Nordic ware. Named November 15th National Bundt Day for the pans 60th anniversary. It says it has sold more than 70 million of them. November 16th is National Fast Food Day.

Natalie MacLean 00:08:04 The fast food restaurant grew up alongside car culture in the 20th century. White Castle opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is often called the first fast food chain. November 17th is National Baklava Day. Baklava is layers of pastry, nuts, and syrup show up in several Eastern Mediterranean traditions. Greek cooks gave it its paper thin filo, a word that means leaf in Greek. Armenian cooks added cinnamon and cloves, and Arab cooks brought the rosewater and cardamom. It’s proof that dessert built by committee can be delicious. And November 17th is also National Homemade Bread Day. The day honours the old craft of turning flour, water and yeast into a loaf. The oldest bread found so far is about 14,400 years old. It turned up in northeastern Jordan. That bread came before farming. Clearly, people wanted a sandwich badly enough to invent agriculture and injure Weir. But wonderful scientific facts of the week. That beer tapping prank is a cavitation experiment. Strike the top of an open beer bottle and pressure waves race through the liquid, causing tiny gas pockets to collapse violently and split into clouds of smaller bubbles.

Natalie MacLean 00:09:27 Those new bubbles grow fast, rise together, and can turn most of the beer into foam within seconds. The pub prank has the same physics family as the phenomena studied in pumps, propellers and volcanic eruptions, and sunlight can chemically turn beer Spunky light excites riboflavin in beer, which then reacts with the hop derived compounds and helps create three methyl two butane one thiel. Say that one fast as well. One of the molecules responsible for the classic skunk smell. It takes an astonishingly small amount to be noticed. The sun isn’t warming your beer, it’s editing it. This week on city TV’s Breakfast television. We chat about how the calendar is thirsty and ridiculous. November’s calendar is packed with little known holidays, and each one is a great excuse to get together with friends and family. I’ve never met a date I couldn’t pair with a drink. So let’s get started. Today is say everything in a French accent day. So Bonjour, mes amis. Voila le bubbly. Let me tell you about something magnifique. Pomeroy Brut Rosé is all about the bubbles.

Natalie MacLean 00:10:41 It’s the champagne made for memorable moments. And for the new ones that you’ll make tonight. When Madame Louise party was only 39 years old with two young children, she took over the champagne house when her husband died. This was in the 1850s, when most women weren’t in business at all, let alone running one of France’s most successful champagne producers. She also launched the world’s first dry, or Brut champagne. Until then, bubbly had been sweet. This dry champagne gets a teeny tiny splash of Pinot noir, and that gives it a delicate pink colour and notes of field strawberries. A zesty wave of fine bubbles carries crisp citrus notes. It’s $5 off now at the Lcbo until December 5th. Wouldn’t this be great with potato chips or popcorn? I love shabby chic pairings like putting rhinestones on jeans, and you can elevate the heck out of your potato chips and popcorn. Next up we have Boronia Reserva from Rioja, Spain. Friday is Friday the 13th, but don’t be nervous because we’re going to Spain. And there the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th.

Natalie MacLean 00:11:55 So tomorrow is a perfectly fine Friday to enjoy this wine. We’ll pour this gorgeous Spanish red and borrow their luck. The Boronia Reserva from Rioja is in northern Spain and this wine started in 1973 with a group of friends who loved to cook together. They belonged to a cooking club where friends became family. They wanted wines to go with their food. Boronia ages this reserva for 18 months in oak barrels, and then it rests another 18 months in the bottle before it’s released. The sides of the barrels are American oak, which lend vanilla and spice notes. The ends are French oak for the toasty aromas. It’s mostly Tempranillo, Spain’s signature red grape. You’ll get black fruit and cinnamon on the nose, and it has this velvet smooth texture. Can you imagine this at the family dinner table with Lucky Linguini? Next up is The Glenlivet, 12 year old Provence edition from Speyside, Scotland. And let’s jump ahead to Wednesday, November 18th, which is married to a Scorpio support day. Scotland and France have long been allies since 1295, so this marriage was in the making for centuries.

Natalie MacLean 00:13:14 George Smith founded The Glenlivet in 1824, and this limited edition starts as their 12 year old single malt, with a portion of it finished in fine French wine oak barrels that includes the Provence Cru classic casks. Yeah. Say that 14 times, which bring bright citrus and elegant floral notes. It’s the first time The Glenlivet has used French white wine oak casks. That makes it the perfect marriage of wine and whiskey. And it’s also a rare marriage where both families approve. You can taste both sides of this marriage. White peaches and orange marmalade lead in the nose and then pear. Creme brulée and marzipan arrive on the palate. How great would this taste with Comte de cheese? Yes, please. Next up we have. As I mentioned, November 12th is pizza with the works. Except anchovies day. This Tuscan red wine loves a pizza piled with Italian sausage and mushrooms. The wine comes from Factoria vertigo and it’s called suspect, which means suspect in Italian. The winery says grapes kept vanishing from its vineyard. Turns out the culprits were a raccoon, a fox, a ferret and a cat.

Natalie MacLean 00:14:35 The adorable label shows them in a police line up with the raccoon pointing an accusing par at the fox. Each animal picked a favorite grape, which inspired the four grape blend Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Serra. The Tuscan winery was founded in 1964 by the couple Lucio and Franca Landini. It’s in the hills of Greve in Chianti, near Florence. This Super Tuscan style blend is aged in stainless steel, which keeps the fruit front and center. Dark cherry and strawberry notes lead with a hint of baking spice. The only crime here is how easy it is to drink, and it’s only $18 now at the Lcbo, which makes it an incredible value for such a well-made wine. Can you imagine this one with grilled steak? I can, just don’t leave your steak unattended. That raccoon has a record. Next Tuesday, November 17th is Homemade bread day. That’s the one holiday with a whole house. Smells like a bakery. If you’re heading to a family gathering that week, bring a warm loaf and a bottle of rum.

Natalie MacLean 00:15:40 Your host will love you for both. This is Bamboo Original, crafted in Barbados in the 16th and 17th century. Sailors in the West Indies blended local fruit and spices into their rum, and they called it bamboo. Bamboo is the number one super premium rum brand in the world, and the bottle is so handsome it hardly needs wrapping. It’s rich and smooth with vanilla and caramel up front. Tropical fruit and warm spice. Follow. Pour it neat or over a one large ice cube with a twist of orange peel. This would be amazing with warm bread pudding. So bring out the crystal and candles, because a ridiculous holiday deserves a ridiculous ceremony. And here’s to celebrating every day on the calendar. You’ll find me on Instagram. I’m at Natalie McLean wine and online. My website is Natalie McLean. Come for the dates, stay for the drinks And on Global’s national afternoon show TMS two, we chat about the 113th Grey Cup kickoff this Sunday in Calgary. GameDay spreads are coming together across the country. Now, Morgan, the three hosts of TMS two are Morgan, Brad and Brittany.

Natalie MacLean 00:16:54 And so Brad used to play for the CFL. We matched a drink to every snack on the table and of course we turned it into a game. I’ve been at Grey Cup training camp all week, mostly at the snack table, lifting various glasses and plates, and my stretching routine is mostly reaching across the table. So huddle up. Here’s the play. Every snack at the table is assigned a jersey number. I serve each drink, and Morgan and Brittany place their tiny little footballs in a dish beside the snack. They think it matches. Brad’s our referee. When a pick matches mine, Brad signals a touchdown. I’m told that’s a very good thing. When I get a football term wrong, Brad gives me the no good signal. No, Brad, I told him you’ll recognize a few of these numbers. Three of them are jerseys you worn with various teams. So this is your career, Brad told in Carbs and Cocktails. So what are we pouring for the kickoff? We’re starting with the easiest cocktail on the table.

Natalie MacLean 00:17:55 All you need is whiskey, ginger ale, and a tall glass of ice. Quarterbacks. Hut, hut! Spike. Oh, wait a minute. That’s volleyball. Well, whatever it is, here’s a highball. This whiskey has gorgeous notes of vanilla and oak, and the ginger ale adds a spicy fizz. Morgan and Brittany. Which snack would make this a touchdown? So they guessed. And my pick is the cheese curds. And that’s number 80. Brad’s jersey when he played for the Toronto Argonauts. Cheese curds are the heart of poutine, minus the deep fryer and gravy. They squeak when you bite into them, which is so helpful to drown out the chatter of the pre-game panel. The ginger fizz cuts through the creamy curds and the whiskey’s warmth plays up their saltiness. And what’s the call for the second quarter? Well, I’m calling an audible. I believe that’s an audiobook version of the game plan. Is that right, Brad? Brad will likely give me the no good signal. This one calls for Canada’s national cocktail.

Natalie MacLean 00:18:53 The Caesar rimmed the glass with celery salt. Add ice vodka and clam and tomato juice, finished with a dash of Worcestershire sauce. I always get tripped up on that and a few drops of hot sauce, a lime wedge and a celery stock go on top. It’s savory and tangy with a peppery kick. So which snack is its teammate? And while you’re deciding Morgan and Brittany, I’ll give you a little background. The Caesar was invented in Calgary in 1969, and this year’s Grey Cup is in Calgary, home of the Stampeders. Well, turns out its teammate is the shrimp ring 86. Brad’s jersey from Edmonton. I’ll hang a shrimp on the ring. This is the only cocktail that brings its own appetizer to the party. Now that we’re in Calgary, we’ll see if our referee can stay neutral in enemy territory. That’s a touchdown for Morgan and Brittany. Right, Brad. All right. The Caesar has clam juice in it. So seafood is a natural teammate. It has a tomato tang and spice that work like a cocktail sauce for the shrimp.

Natalie MacLean 00:19:59 Leave out the vodka, and it’s a virgin Caesar. A delicious mocktail, it’s perfect for designated drivers and anyone choosing not to drink alcohol. It’s halftime. So what are we pouring? In my house, football is the opening act. Halftime is the main event. Next up is a crisp lager served ice cold. In football terms, that’s the long bomb. But I’ve been told not to throw the drink. The lager is light and clean with a refreshing bite. Two snacks are left. So which one gets this one? My pick is the chicken wings. And that’s number 87. Brad’s jersey from the Montreal Alouettes. That’s a touchdown again. I know exactly when to cheer. Now it’s whenever Brad looks happy. High alcohol makes hot sauce taste hotter. So a cold crisp beer cools the burn on the wings. Instead. It’s a fourth quarter nail biter. What do we need? Here’s a tip whenever you think beer, think bubbly. Sparkling wine does the same job as cleansing your palate. And as a bonus, it’s perfect for the trophy representation.

Natalie MacLean 00:21:05 It’s crisp and lively, with fine bubbles and zesty citrus. There’s only one snack on the table, so nobody should fumble this one. I believe that’s called a gimme. Brad. Yeah, no, a gimme is in golf, not football. I should probably stop using sports metaphors completely, but what the heck? My pick is the ketchup chips. That’s lucky. Number 13 for today’s date. Friday the 13th. Now that’s a touchdown for both of you. These tangy, salty chips crackle louder than commentators debating a replay. Salt and bubbles are a classic match. The wine’s acidity matches the tang of the ketchup seasoning. It’s champagne taste on a potato chip budget. Morgan and Brittany, you’ve just won the World Cup, but this cup doesn’t look great to me. Somehow, I think I’ve got the more wrong sport again. But everybody’s winner. Bubbles for the brave. Cheese with the champions and chips for the challengers. That’s a hat trick, right? Yeah, maybe not thinking hockey anyway. You know, I should have known that by the time we got to the bottom of the ninth inning.

Natalie MacLean 00:22:08 Anyhow, let’s raise a glass. Here’s to Sunday’s game. May every chip on the snack table be a slam dunk. Anywho, on Instagram, I’m at Natalie McLean wine. Come for the tasting. Stay for the touchdowns. Back to today’s episode. Three of you will win a copy of Ann’s terrific book, Romanian wines uncorked your insider’s guide to exploring Romanian wines. If you’d like to win a copy, please email me and let me know you’d like to win. It doesn’t matter where you live, I’ll choose three winners randomly from those who contact me at Natalie at Natalie mclean.com. Keep it for yourself or give it as a gift. And if you’re reading the paperback book or listening to the audiobook of my memoir, Why Am I on Fire? Rising to the Ashes of Divorce, defamation, and Drinking Too Much, a national bestseller and one of Amazon’s best books of the year. I’d love to hear from you at Natalie at Natalie mclean.com. There’s a terrific free guide for book clubs. I’ll put a link in the show notes to all retailers worldwide at Natalie McLean.

Natalie MacLean 00:23:04 Com 4415. Okay, on with the show.

Natalie MacLean 00:23:14 And we spend. Austin is a well-known food, travel and wine journalist from the Netherlands who also lives in Romania. She obtained a degree from the Wine Academy in the Netherlands, finished the W set level four diploma and graduated from the Austrian Wine Academy with her thesis about the development and future of wine tourism in Transylvania. Part of the year. She lives in Transylvania, visiting Romanian wineries. The other part. She travels the world visiting other wineries and judging international wine competitions. She shares her knowledge on NYC and on social media, and she joins us now from her home in Transylvania, Romania. Welcome, Anne. We’re so glad you could join us.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:24:01 Thank you. Happy to see you and to be here with you.

Natalie MacLean 00:24:04 Fantastic. All right. Now, before we dive into your wine career, tell us about the first time you came to Romania in 2008.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:24:14 Yeah, that’s almost ten years ago now. So I met my my husband now in 2007, and he was like, I have this very nice, romantic house in Romania.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:24:23 And I was like, people don’t have a romantic house in Romania. You have a house in Italy or in France or somewhere at a beach. But we we went there in 2008 and he was like, oh, we’re going to do such romantic things together. And we are so silent and together we. And then we came and there were three ladies sitting on the couch in our garden, in our not ready garden, but they were cracking the nuts from the walnut tree. One made food for us and the other did other things for us. They were so kind. But they didn’t leave those two weeks. They didn’t leave. They stayed.

Natalie MacLean 00:24:59 All stayed the whole time.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:25:00 Yeah, yeah. No no no no. They were neighbors. Everyone was so excited. Oh there go the new person here. Because here are only 20 houses and no, no shops. Nothing. So it was for them an attraction like. And it is still their very kind. They come bring us food, they make conserves like for the winter, and they bring all the cans and all kinds of stuff and they really like to drink a cappuccino at our house.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:25:25 So it’s a very nice, very nice place to live now. But they come, but they don’t stay all week anymore.

Natalie MacLean 00:25:32 That’s good. Now you’ve got another story about tasting top Bordeaux wines at the prestigious on premiere event, while the wines are still in barrels. Tell us about that.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:25:42 Yeah, that was also around the same time, I think. Okay. We went there to Bordeaux for the tastings and everyone is going there with big cars and chauffeurs, drivers. And we were like, let’s go by bicycle. So we took the bicycles. In Bordeaux you have these bicycles you can rent for a few euros. And we went by bike, took some food for picnic, and then we were on our bike to this prestigious chateaux, and we were trying to look our bicycles because we wanted to enter the chateau. And then the guys who keep the chateau, they were like knocking your your bike. Nobody wants to steal a bike in Bordeaux. So this was like it was, but it was very nice.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:26:23 And you think Bordeaux is not so steep, but when you go by bike, you will feel it.

Natalie MacLean 00:26:28 You’ll feel the hills or whatever. Yeah. Well. And then you were on your way to the first growth winery, Chateau Cheval Blanc. Very prestigious winery. What happened there?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:26:39 Yeah, but this was with the students of Dutch Wine Academy. Okay. And we were halfway and it was, oh, we are going to Cheval Blanc. And and then halfway the bus stopped because he, the driver, has forgotten to refill the fuel. Oh. And then there was a phone call to the chateau. And then the professor case von Leeuw is a Dutch. Then he was the director, or he worked a very high position there. He came with a dairy Queen with fuel for the bus. So this was like you go to such a prestigious thing and then this happens. But it was a nice visit afterwards.

Natalie MacLean 00:27:12 Yes. That’s good. At least the reward was some outstanding wine at the end of that story.

Natalie MacLean 00:27:17 Now you’ve shared with me that you suffer from claustrophobia. How does that affect you as a wine journalist?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:27:23 You can imagine all the cellars.

Natalie MacLean 00:27:25 Oh yes. Oh my gosh.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:27:27 Yes. Some are well done. But for instance, I was once in champagne at Charles Heidsieck. And then you go to this very narrow stairs down. And the downstairs there is it’s huge. It’s not like creepy or so, but to get there, I don’t know, something comes to me and I’m like, I must. And I run on the stairs and I’m not very anxious or whatever, but this is something I cannot control, right? But then someone took me to a very huge elevator because all the vets and all the things don’t go in this narrow step, or this is only for tourists to make you have this feeling like. So I went down in a very large elevator and it was okay when it was down. But for now, I’m not very fond of cellars. I’ve seen so many cellars now, so when I skip 1 or 2, I don’t mind.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:28:16 I prefer to be in the field and see the vines and things like that. Oh yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:28:21 It’s much nicer. And most winemakers these days are vigneron. Say the wine is made in the vineyard, not in the cellar. So.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:28:28 Yeah, exactly.

Natalie MacLean 00:28:29 Who needs the cellars anyway? Yeah, yeah. You’ve judged several editions of the International Wine Contest, the biggest international wine competition in Central and Eastern Europe. What is it like judging at that table? How many wines are you tasting in a day? Do you get palate fatigue? What happens there?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:28:49 Well, it’s the same. And I also just said Mundus Fini and Concord Mondiale de Brussel and other competitions. And they are quite the same. So you taste about 5075 wines in in one morning. One. Yeah. One morning it flies from 10 or 12 wines. And normally after each flight you take a little break. Some people take coffee or some people eat a sandwich or whatever. You feel happy. Some people drink beer because that’s. I’m not the beer type.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:19 Of course. Yeah.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:29:20 To have a break and then. Yeah, you go back to your table and then you have to focus again. Like, really focus on your mind from. Okay. Back on track. I drink a lot of sparkling water because that cleans my palate. But it’s depending also when you have only a Riesling all morning or you have Shiraz all morning.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:40 So that’s the alcohol and the tannin and.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:29:43 Yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:29:43 Yeah, two very different lineups there now. Master of Wine Caroline Gilbey wrote the foreword for your book. How is your book different from those she’s written on central in Eastern Europe?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:29:55 Yeah. She’s amazing. She wrote a very good book and I can recommend it for sure. But the difference is she’s going more deeper in the material. So the soils and the the history along about the history, my mine is more like a travel guide. So you go to Romania, you want to know something about Romania because you don’t know anything about Romania, or you know only about one part of Romania, and it covers the wine regions, a very small history, because I don’t like history, but it’s important to know some of the history, because this is the what.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:30:29 That’s what made Romania in every country, actually. It’s also I’ve very much pictures because I love views to to share. Yeah. It’s like a pocket. It’s small. It’s A5 I don’t know. Is it in kind of the same A5? Yeah. It’s not so big. Yeah. Yeah yeah. So you can take it in your backpack and when you travel and you can take it with you.

Natalie MacLean 00:30:50 So yeah. No, I like it. It sounds very practical and very accessible. Like if you’re not a hardcore wine geek, but you do want to experience the wines of Romania, it sounds like your book is the one to go with before we dive into winemaking. Maybe paint is a picture of where Romania is in Europe. For those of us who don’t know what’s around it, land and water wise.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:11 We are at Eastern of Europe. We are. We have in the West. Hungaria. In the north is Ukraine. In the south are Serbia and Bulgaria, and on the right in Ukraine is Moldova.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:24 Sorry, the Republic of Moldova and the Black Sea. The size is about UK and Belgium together. If you know the size, like so.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:32 Yeah, that’s a good approximation.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:34 Other big country. Not nothing compared with Canada of course.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:37 But yeah, we’re spread out. Yeah. And we’re the vineyards located in the country are the east. South. Like where are.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:44 They? They’re everywhere. They’re everywhere.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:46 Throughout the.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:47 Country. We have eight wine regions, from Hungarian border to the Ukrainian border and the Black Sea. So. Okay.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:54 Yeah, they’re spread out okay.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:31:56 Yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:31:56 And the landscape is it also varied, like mountains, lakes, forests.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:32:02 You have the most important thing is the Carpathian Mountains. They come from the north, from Ukraine, and they cross the country in kind of you escape.

Natalie MacLean 00:32:11 Yes.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:32:11 And the highest peak is, I think, to two and a half, 2500m or something, so rather high. And those are really mountains. But you also have hills, like smaller mountains.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:32:26 And we have, of course, the Black Sea. So there you have a lot of sand, very other climates. And we have two main rivers, the Danube River and the old River, who are influencing the climate. So it’s rather a lot of different micro turbines.

Natalie MacLean 00:32:42 And do the Carpathian Mountains, do they have any similar effect that say the Andes would Argentina? Is there protection from winds or a rain scape, or is there any. How do they impact the wines?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:32:56 Yeah, it is not like an ocean, but there’s a protection from extreme weather, of course. And of course there’s a lot of forests on the mountains, so that keeps the humidity in the ground. And there’s a big difference due to the mountains in day and night temperatures. So you have in Transylvania, for instance, because Transylvania is a part inside the Carpathian Mountains, there you have a lot of fresh wines because of this temperature. sure. Differences?

Natalie MacLean 00:33:24 Yeah, that’s always a good thing. They call it the diurnal between day and night.

Natalie MacLean 00:33:28 And it’s always a great thing for wines of complexity. Now, I know this varies each year, but roughly how much wine does Romania produce annually? And say maybe. How does that compare to Hungary or Bordeaux?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:33:41 I’m lousy with figures, but some idea, I think it’s about for a little bit more than 4000 million hectoliters. Hungaria I think around three. Okay, so and when you compare it. Yeah. And when you compare it only with Bordeaux. So the region in France, the region then, then it’s about the same as, as Romania, as a country.

Natalie MacLean 00:34:05 Oh okay. So Bordeaux and Romania, that gives us an idea. So it’s a big producing country. And as I said, my opening questions, it’s one of the top five in Europe. So has wine production been growing, falling, staying flat, say, over the past five years?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:34:19 I think it’s eagle. Eagle. We don’t have really top years or lousy years. It’s I think 2023 was a good year.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:34:30 2024 was more dry. So it was like the product production was less and 2025 was very equal as a 23 roundabout. So it’s and now they are starting harvesting. And I hear very good optimistic voices from it’s.

Natalie MacLean 00:34:47 Going to be a good vintage for 2026. Okay. All right. And the mix of red white sparkling sweet. Like what does the country tend to lead with. One type is one category bigger than the others?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:34:58 Yes. White is for the most like, I think 65, 70%. And then, Yeah, that’s that’s a lot. And then. and then read about 20 or 30%, and then 5 or 10 is for rosé. Red and rosé are slightly growing because also of the climate change, of course. And in Transylvania you could eat plants and red grapes. But now slowly they are doing. And yeah, rosé is also more popular. Now it’s a Dobruja. It’s a Black Sea area. Okay. Sparkling wines. I don’t have figures, but I see there’s a justice at some sparkling wine competition.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:35:34 Also, here in Romania, the production is growing. People are more fond of sparkling wines, not only celebrating at New Year’s Eve, but. Yeah, and the sweet wines and the demi sake of demi sweet that’s traditional here in Romania. So I have a problem with that. But I prefer the drier styles. But people learn now more to appreciate also the drier styles, so I’m happy with that because when I ordered at a winery a few boxes of wines, a very well-known winery and I ordered Chardonnay, Two boxes. And then that it came. And then it was day me sick. And I was like, oh, what Chardonnay dame is sick? Wow. I don’t think that could be them. But they produce it here. But luckily it’s so when you are in Romania, you want to arrive and check the bottle.

Natalie MacLean 00:36:22 Okay. And approximately how many wineries are there in Romania officially registered?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:36:28 I think about slightly more than 500 530 or so.

Natalie MacLean 00:36:32 That’s interesting. In Canada, I think we now have about 7 or 800 in Ontario.

Natalie MacLean 00:36:39 Anyway, it’s interesting just comparing, trying to put it in perspective.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:36:42 Yeah, yeah. And most of them, most of them are in Delamare in the near to Bucharest. That’s really a red wine area. So this is contrary with the production of white wine and but yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:36:56 Okay. And Romania sits in Europe’s top five for vineyard area, the fifth for grape production, the sixth for wine. Why hasn’t that turned into the equivalent shelf space, say, in Canada or the rest of the world? Why aren’t they exporting more?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:37:10 First of all, they drink a lot of wine themselves. So a domestic market is very important. And then there was a year of communist era here. So there was not a possibility to export wines only to the communists to Russia. Only after 1989, when the communist era was over. People could export more and go abroad and do things by themselves. So it’s kind of a new wine country. It’s just developing still. So I always call it a new old wine country.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:37:45 And what about Canada? You have an I don’t know the market by mind, but you have this. Every province has another alcoholic.

Natalie MacLean 00:37:53 Yes. It’s all a patchwork. So.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:37:55 Yeah. So for a small producer, it’s very difficult to to get his way to an importer in a country like Canada.

Natalie MacLean 00:38:02 True. Now, Romania has been making wine for more than 6000 years, which makes it one of the oldest wine cultures on Earth. Why do few people outside the country seem to know about it? Are they the same reasons? Because you’re drinking all your wine so people aren’t getting familiar with it? Or it just it doesn’t seem to be high on the radar. And yet it’s got this history and vineyard acreage, and it seems like it should have more attention.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:38:29 Yeah, it’s the same with my answer about exports because of the Communist era was a disaster because before that the the Romanian wines were very famous in Europe. Oh, and the report at King of Austria and things like that. But then this whole period it was finished.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:38:48 Nobody could have learnt anymore. Everything was for the state. So the there was no quality wine anymore.

Natalie MacLean 00:38:54 So during.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:38:55 The Russian.

Natalie MacLean 00:38:56 Era.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:38:56 Yeah. When people only at the end of the 20th century start to make nice wine. It takes a while to convince the country the people for export, so that’s a real problem.

Natalie MacLean 00:39:09 Sure, marketing and getting the experience international, letting your winemakers have strategies or work experience abroad so they bring back the techniques. Now you write that the ancient Dacians or Dassin, the people the Romans conquered to create Romania, were already growing vines when the Romans arrived in the first and second centuries. So is there anything left from that era in the vineyards today?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:39:34 That’s a that’s a long time ago. So there are no vines from that. I didn’t I don’t believe there are vines. But we have the history. And the tradition is of course, there, like the old varieties, the indigenous grape varieties, the traditional way of winemaking, the tradition and the history that’s from this period.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:39:53 But not not vines or vineyards.

Natalie MacLean 00:39:56 Sure, that would be too long, but perhaps the techniques and that sort of thing. Now, under communism from 1947 to 1989. A farmer could keep no more than 250m² of vines for personal use. So about 2700ft², which is smaller than a tennis court. What did people or how did people manage to make a living with a plot that small? Or was that just for family consumption? They were just making wine for the family?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:40:23 Yeah. They couldn’t. You cannot do anything with it. So most people. This was a terrible situation because a lot of people were just thrown out of their house and out of their land, and they had to live together in some barn or so. So this was a terrible situation, and a lot of people had to go to work for the government, in the state, in the state, wineries and people who didn’t like it. They went to the city and were looking for other jobs. And then when they come back after this period, it is very difficult.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:40:55 It’s a difficult situation because you can get you have another profession and then you can get your property back. So what do you do with it? You you have at least you have 50 hectares. You are a lawyer because you did another profession. So. And until now, there are some partials. People don’t know the who’s the owner. Because also in this period, a lot of documentation was burnt or vanished, or so a lot of people don’t know some pieces of land. Who is the owner? So this is still a process here in Romania?

Natalie MacLean 00:41:28 Sure. Wow. Really had a huge impact. Now you write that the better bottles went to export or to whoever knew the local party secretary. During communism, the communist official who ran the district. So was there a lot of corruption back then?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:41:43 Yes, but I don’t know anything about that because they don’t speak about it. Sure. I think older people know, but I cannot find anything.

Natalie MacLean 00:41:53 Documented.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:41:54 Document or books or I don’t know there was, but how it was and how it works, I don’t know, but there must be an everywhere war, I think.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:42:03 And every situation like this there is like this.

Natalie MacLean 00:42:05 But yeah, I guess people weren’t keeping track of all that. Now you have a line in your book, quantity replaced craftsmanship about those decades for Romanian wine. How long did it take to reverse that, and is it fully repaired or what do you see? Where is it? The state of the quality today?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:42:26 Yeah, we make very good wines. People ask me, do they make nice wines in Romania? And I’m like, okay, do they make nice wines in Italy? Do they make nice in Spain? Everywhere are good and bad wines. So it’s Romania. But as I told you, after the communist era, people get back their, their vineyards. And only in 2007 when we get to the European Union, the borders were open so people investors could come invest in, in material in lens. They could buy a land because that was not possible before that period. Young winemakers went abroad to study and came back with with knowledge. So it is a continue and it is like ten, 20 years ago.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:43:08 This all started only 20 years ago. So it is.

Natalie MacLean 00:43:11 True.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:43:12 2007.

Natalie MacLean 00:43:13 Yeah, with the European Union. That’s fascinating. Now in your book you call Romanian wines bloody good wines, which of course is very clever pun because most tourists to Transylvania view it as Dracula country. And the count famously said, I never drink wine because he was thinking of something else. Now I know Dracula is not your specialty, but given your book is focused on sort of travel and the whole thing, I would love to chat about whatever you might know about Dracula. Now, in chapter one of the book, the narrator, Jonathan Harker, reaches the castle and he stops for supper in Bistrita, and he drinks a wine that the author Bram Stoker calls Golden Ash. And it’s a real wine from the town of medias in your own Tarn region. And of course, the Tarn Ave is a cool white wine region where the DJed V DJed. I’m probably mispronouncing all of these names, so feel free to jump in.

Natalie MacLean 00:44:14 But that winery farms most of the vines. When did you first find out the book named A wine from your Own Backyard and have you ever tasted it?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:44:23 Well, as you say, I didn’t read the Book of Dracula. I didn’t see the movie Transylvania. Oh yeah, and I even didn’t visit his castle here. So that’s that’s on my bucket list because I rather visit wineries. Sure. But I know about medias. I don’t know about this. This wine. I know there is in Cebu, I think there is a winery. He they use this Golden medias as their label. So they have several varieties under this label. I never heard of it. I heard I hear it from you now. But I’m going to try those wines. Of course. But I know Maria’s from another point, because it’s a very nice, traditional city. And it’s the the cradle of the grape variety. Oscar, Gala and gala is the most splendid variety in Romania. And the king? I forgot his name.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:45:15 King Ferdinand, or so he was very fond on this vine and on this variety. So he named it a royal maiden. Like Oscar, regalia means royal maiden. Okay. And this town is very fond of this story. The history of the variety. And it was now, I think three years ago. It was 100 years ago. Then the grape was born there. Then you have now every 3rd of June they celebrate a gala day in this city with a lot of music and of course, gala wines. So that’s my knowledge about Meadows and not the Golden Meadows wine from Dracula. And I think the people like more the the story than the Dracula story. The people in Romania.

Natalie MacLean 00:46:03 I’m sure they’re tired of Dracula, but I’m not yet. Now, Bram Stoker writes in his book, the wine quote gave a queer sting on the tongue. And it it says it wasn’t disagreeable. What do you think he was tasting? Do you think he was as tasting an acidic wine?

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:46:18 I think it’s good to have been a fair to Oscar gala or.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:46:22 And because that has a kind of acidity.

Natalie MacLean 00:46:24 Okay.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:46:25 And it was like in the 1800s somewhere or somewhat or so when this book is. So I think the, the unification methods were not that up to date yet. So I think it’s a kind of pet, not style like kind of very long because it’s very cool. So that the fermentation takes very long. So you get a kind of. Yeah. Fizzy wine with the acidity. That’s the.

Natalie MacLean 00:46:52 Thing. Maybe.

Anne-Wies Van Oosten 00:46:53 Yes. Yeah. That’s good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:46:56 Natural pet? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Natalie MacLean 00:47:03 Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed our chat with Anne. Here are my takeaways. Number one. How come Romania have one of Europe’s largest vineyard areas and a winemaking history stretching back thousands of years and remain relatively unknown internationally, as an explains. First of all, Romania drinks a lot of its own wine themselves, so the domestic market is very important. Then there was a zenith before the communist era, during which it was not a possibility to export wines, but only to the communist country of Russia.

Natalie MacLean 00:47:39 After 1989, when the communist era was over. People could export, go abroad, Learn new techniques and gain new technology. So it’s kind of a new wine country still developing and thinks of it as a new old world wine country. But for a small producer, it’s still very difficult to get an importer in a country like Canada. Number two, how did communist rule transform Romania’s once celebrated wine industry? In Ann’s book, she says quality replaced craftsmanship around those decades for Romanian wine and says Romania today makes very good wines. And of course, like every other region, there’s also bad wines. But after the communist era era, people got back ownership of their vineyards and in 2007 they entered the European Union and borders became open to investors. Young winemakers went abroad to study and came back with knowledge that only started 20 years ago. And number three. How does Romania’s geography create such diverse winegrowing conditions? And says the most important factor is the Carpathian Mountains. They come from the north, from Ukraine, and they cross the country.

Natalie MacLean 00:48:59 The highest peak is about 2500m. You also have hills and smaller mountains, and of course, the Black Sea. If a lot of sand, two main rivers, the Danube and the old river that are influencing the climate. So there’s a lot of different microclimates. I asked her if they have a similar effect, say that the Andes do in Argentina, and she said, yes, there’s protection from extreme weather. And of course there’s a lot of forests on the mountains, so that keeps the humidity in the ground. There’s a big difference due to the mountains day and nighttime temperatures. In Transylvania, for instance, it’s inside the Carpathian Mountains. So you have a lot of fresh wines because of this temperature dip. If you missed episode 188, go back and take a listen. I chat about the three biggest forces changing wine now with Mike Veith, author of Wine Wars two The Global Battle for the Soul of Wine. I’ll share a short clip with you now to whet your appetite.

Natalie MacLean 00:50:03 Is wine losing its soul?

Mike Veseth 00:50:05 Well, it certainly risks losing its soul because it becomes about the imaging more than the wine itself, with at least some celebrity wines.

Mike Veseth 00:50:15 It could be from anywhere. It could be made by anyone. It could come out of a big tank. Gerard Burton is famous in France as a winemaker, but also he’s even more famous as a rugby player. He played on the national rugby team and so he’s a big guy. I came up to him and I said, you know, Gerard, when I first heard about your wines, I thought that this was just celebrity wine. And he rose up. But of course, then I tasted the wines and this was an honest thing. And many of the wines are so expressive of place. There were some of the very best wines that I had had when we toured through the south of France.

Natalie MacLean 00:50:58 You won’t want to miss next week when we continue our chat with Anne. Do you know someone who would be interested in learning more about the wines of Romania? Please let them know about the podcast. Email or text them now while you’re thinking about it. It’s easy to find the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast.

Natalie MacLean 00:51:13 Just tell them to search for that title or my name. Natalie McLean wine on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or their favorite podcast app where they can listen to the show on my website at Natalie McLean. Tip, question or if you’d like to win one of six drinks books I have to give away. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on this episode, or if you’ve read my book or are listening to it. Email me at Natalie at Natalie mclean.com. In the show notes, you’ll also find a link to take a free online food and wine pairing class with me, called the five Wine and Food Pairing Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Dinner and How to Fix Them Forever at Natalie mclean.com. And that’s all in the show notes at Natalie McLean one five. Thank you for taking the time to join me here. I hope something great is in your glass this week. Perhaps a zesty Romanian wine? You don’t want to miss.

Natalie MacLean 00:52:12 One juicy episode of this podcast, especially the secret full bodied bonus episodes that I don’t announce on social media.

Natalie MacLean 00:52:20 So subscribe for free now at Natalie McLean for Meet Me Here next week. Cheers.

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