“We open Romanian Wine” program brings Romanian wines closer to Romanians in Italy

“We open Romanian Wine”, the Carrefour Romania program that has been supporting the Romanian wine industry since 2019, has organised a wine tasting event on Monday, June 5^th, 2023, at the invitation of the Romanian Embassy in Rome and in partnership with Wines of Romania. Some of the guests that have participated at the festivities were representatives of HoReCa, as well as businesspeople, authorities, and public figures from Italy.

The event hosted by E.S. Gabriela Dancău, Ambassador of Romania to the Italian Republic, featured seven Romanian wineries, Domeniile Averești, Domeniul Bogdan, Jidvei, SERVE, Gramofon Wine, Viticola Sarica Niculițel & Crama DeMatei, that are also a part of the Carrefour Romania program “We Open Romanian Wine”, as well as partners of Wines of Romania and together with representatives of Carrefour Romania and Italy. Wine lovers and entrepreneurs that were present at the venue had the opportunity to discover or revisit traditional Romanian grape varieties such as Fetească Regală, Fetească Albă, Busuioacă, Zghihară, Fetească Neagră, and many others.

“Romanian wine is not just a commercial product; it is an ambassador of our culture and history. Each drop of wine in our glass carries the memory of a land rich in traditions and ennobled by the hard work of our producers. The event hosted by the Romanian Embassy in Rome was an invitation to a sensory journey to Romania, where picturesque landscapes and warm hospitality harmoniously blend with the tasting of exceptional wines. The new Romanian wine industry, which has seen significant investment in the last 15 years, produces excellent wines. Premium wines, in particular, can be rightfully placed alongside Italian, Spanish, or French wines. This is the niche in the Italian market where I believe our wines have great potential. And this fact has been confirmed to us by sommeliers, Michelin restaurant directors, and distributors who attended our event and were especially impressed by the wines made from Romanian indigenous grape varieties, previously unknown in the Italian market,” said Gabriela Dancău, the Ambassador of Romania to the Italian Republic.

The ”We Open Romanian Wine” program aims to support the Romanian wine industry and put Romania on the international wine map, a goal for which it makes solid efforts to achieve every day. In 2021, Carrefour Romania promoted Romanian wine in New York on the occasion of National Day, and last year, in 2022, the “We Open Romanian Wine” program took another bold step at the Milan Wine Week, one of the most important international wine festivals. Moreover, the Romanian wines produced exclusively for this program have received medals and distinctions at prestigious wine competitions in Europe.

“Since 2019, with the launch of the ‘We Open Romanian Wine’ program, we have had two important objectives on our agenda: familiarizing consumers with various local wine brands both locally and internationally. With every step we tale, regardless of whether it is in Romania or abroad, we are getting closer and closer to achieving this goal”, declared Julien Munch, CEO of Carrefour Romania.

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Marinela Ardelean, founder of Wines of Romania, co-organizer of RO-Wine, and Ambassador of the “We Open Romanian Wine” program, along with Mircea Niculescu, Senior Wine Buyer, and Costela Dumitru, Head of Buying Beverages & Tobacco at Carrefour Romania, accompanied the wineries at the event.

“I was delighted to receive the invitation from H.E. Gabriela Dancău, Ambassador of Romania to the Italian Republic, to promote Romanian wines in Italy. The praises given to the wines that were tasted, the way each winery owner presented their own wines, and the large number of participants at the event strengthened my belief that Romanian wine has a place on Italian tables. Romania is the sixth largest wine producer in Europe, it has extraordinary wines and producers with top expertise, full of passion for what they do. And we demonstrate this these days in Rome”, said Marinela Ardelean, the Ambassador of the “We Open Romanian Wine” program.

This is the second time that “We Open Romanian Wine” challenges Italy, the country of wine, to discover Romanian wine, with the support of the Romanian Embassy in Rome. Also, last year, at the largest European wine festival, Milan Wine Week, 14 wineries from the “We Open Romanian Wine” program and high-value grape varieties grown on Romanian soils, little known by wine lovers worldwide, enjoyed the recognition of experts and the appreciation of wine enthusiasts. At the end of the event, Italian experts stated that “at least once in a lifetime, it’s worth trying an authentic Romanian wine made from an indigenous grape variety.”