Enjoy an epic day trip from Bucharest, following the ancient wine road built by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Re-opened to the public after almost a century of “hibernation”, the road displays beautifully restored manors, cellars, and old monasteries.
Along the way, you’ll visit two wine museums, stop for lunch in a traditional manor and enjoy wine tasting sessions at two prestigious wineries, surrounded by the endless vineyards of Dealu Mare – Romania’s most famous wine region.
Short history:
Romania is a country with a long-standing tradition in winemaking, and the world’s 13th wine producer, despite losing half of its arable lands and suffering a loss of prestige several decades ago, when communists favored mass production over quality.
Nowadays, the country has gone through a process of mass restoration, aiming to reclaim its rightful place among the top 10 wine producers.
Itinerary description:
1st stop: Bellu Manor Wine Museum
Your guide will pick you up from the hotel and drive a bit over 1 hour to Dealu Mare, Romania's most famous wine region. As soon as you enter the Old Wine Road, you'll stop for a guided tour at the beautifully restored Bellu Manor – a marvel of old Romanian architecture.
Built by Baron Alexandru Bellu in the 19th century, the manor is not just a great art collection, but also an important wine museum. With a great passion for wine and even owning a sparkling wine factory, the baron stored precious tools in the manor’s great cellar.
It's the oldest wine press in Walachia with enormous barrels and extremely old wine-making tools going back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.
2nd stop: Lacerta Winery
After learning about the long history of winemaking in Romania, it’s time for some actual wine tasting at Lacerta Winery. Same as Bordeaux and Toscana, Lacerta’s vine estate stretches along the 45th parallel and thus has the ideal climate for producing wines with a rich, complex and silken taste.
Lacerta is one of the most modern wineries in Romania, with production techniques based on gravitational principles meant to limit the usage of pumps.
You’ll be able to taste 6 types of high-quality Romanian wines alongside small plates of cheese and dry sausages in a fairytale location, surrounded by the endless vineyards covering the hills of Dealu Mare, at one of the most beautiful wineries in the country.
3rd stop: Casa Colinelor - 1000 Chipuri Winery
The third and final stop of the day is at Casa Colinelor (Hill House) where the 1000 Chipuri (1000 Faces) Winery is located. Here you will first serve lunch and then tour the property.
During the wine tasting, you will admire the beautiful vineyards surrounding the house, and visit the winery and also the cellars. There will be 6 glasses of wine, served alongside typical wine snacks.
All the wines come from 1000 Chipuri, one of the most highly praised boutique wineries from the Dealu Mare wine region.
