WHITE WINES
CRAMPOSIE SELECTIONATA
This grape variety goes back to pre-Roman Empire days when the region between the Danube and the Carpathians was inhabited by the Dacians. Since then, over the course of two thousand years, Cramposie vines have evolved to adapt perfectly to both soil and climate of the Dragasani region, recognizable through the consistently high quality wines they produce. For that reason, this wine has become the icon of the Dragasani region as well as of our wine estate.
Finely chiseled, refreshingly fruity notes in the nose and on the palate, underscored by bracing acidity and subtle minerality bring about a young wine you can actually fall in love with, ideal as a stimulating impulse for social occasions, but also to accompany refined fish dishes and asparagus.
FETEASCA REGALA
This grape variety stems from Feteasca Neagra and Feteasca Alba, but is also related to the aromatic Grasa grape. The character of the wine is rather unusual: on the palate finely grained tannins from the grape skins in a concentration rare for a white wine.
This lends the wine – together with its elegant, complex bouquet – a dense structure which swathes the palate. The wine is well suited to accompany richer fish and sea food dishes, but also barbecued poultry and lamb.
SAUVIGNON BLANC SEC
For more than a hundred years, this grape variety has been cultivated in the Dragasani region, where it appears to feel quite at home. The cool, deep soil of the Dragasani hills apparently balances the very warm continental air currents, encouraging the grape to develop especially well the fresh-fruity bouquet so typical of this variety. Selecting the precise moment for picking is essential to this grape in order to coax maximum aromatic intensity into the wine.
That the resulting quality can dazzle even the most demanding wine tasters was proven by the inclusion of our Sauvignon Blanc in the First Class section of Lufthansa flights in 2008, a debut for Romanian wine in the eighty-year history of this airline.
SAUVIGNON BLANC VITIS VETUS
Made of grapes from Moraru Vineyard, harvested from 40 years old grapevines with deep roots which allows them to grow the finest grapes each year, expressing perfectly well this variety´s character: intense bouquet of green pepper and gooseberries in the nose, which develops into mango and papaya aromas as it ages, followed by a strong body on the palate, confirming the same peppers and gooseberries hint – a strong wine, comparable to the Sauvignon Blanc wines from Loire in France, the region of origin of this variety.
Vinified in stainless steel tanks, the wine has fermented spontaneously , without adding any selected yeast, then matured for 12 months on the lees, developing a round and balanced body with impressive depth and length on the palate, becoming a true collection wine , with aging potential of 5 to 7 years.
TAMAIOASA ROMANEASCA SEC
This variety, too, bears witness to Dragasani’s more than two-thousand-year heritage of wine cultivation. It’s a member of the Near Eastern muscat grape family, presumably brought to Dragasani by early Greek and Roman settlers. In the cool loam/clay-accentuated soil of the region, this aromatic variety develops a floral spice bouquet of particular intensity, while retaining a refreshing acidity.
Vinified dry, this wine is well suited as an aperitif, with salads or as an accompaniment to spicy Asian cuisine.
As a late harvest semisweet wine, the intense bouquet is strengthened and enhanced still further by the grape’s residual sugar, blossoming with touches of ripened fruits on the palate.
TAMAIOASA ROMANEASCA DULCE
This variety, too, bears witness to Dragasani’s more than two-thousand-year heritage of wine cultivation. It’s a member of the Near Eastern muscat grape family, presumably brought to Dragasani by early Greek and Roman settlers. In the cool loam/clay-accentuated soil of the region, this aromatic variety develops a floral spice bouquet of particular intensity, while retaining a refreshing acidity.
Vinified dry, this wine is well suited as an aperitif, with salads or as an accompaniment to spicy Asian cuisine.
As a late harvest semisweet wine, the intense bouquet is strengthened and enhanced still further by the grape’s residual sugar, blossoming with touches of ripened fruits on the palate.
RED WINES
ROSÉ
As with all our wines, the Rosés are made from one single grape variety, in this case from best quality Cabernet Sauvignon fermented like a white wine. After letting the mash stand for a brief spell, just long enough for the juice to attain the typical fruitiness of this variety, the tannin-accented skins are separated from the juice in the press.
The result is an independent, self-contained wine full of fresh power, the perfect companion for smoked fish or cured ham, or to buoy up a summertime evening barbecue. It is a dashing alternative for meals when guests are uncertain whether to serve red or white.
NEGRU DE DRAGASANI
The grape of Negru de Dragasani, stemming from Negru Vartos and Babeasca Neagra, with its intense bouquet and its fresh and velvety texture, inspired us to make the first red Stirbey wine, which is not aged in wooden barrels, but bottled directly after vinification. It reflects the grape´s character, with a fresh impression and dense aromas of fruits and condiments. A young, cheerful and insisting child, which fills all your senses with its presence – you will immediately fall in love with it!
We suggest it as accompanist to traditional dishes from the countryside: smoked ham, salt meat, brawn, roast goose on cabbage, or pork ribs with fried potatoes.
To savor fully the fresh and intense character of this wine, we recommend to serve it at aprox. 15-16°C!
NOVAC
The ancestors of this grape variety, Negru Vartos from southern Romania and Saperavi from Georgia, bond together two of Europe’s very oldest wine cultivation regions in a grape variety which first saw the light of day in Dragasani. Needful of demanding crop care in the vineyard and sophisticated processing in the cellar, these grapes create a wine which diverges wide from everyday mainstream varieties: not a brash concentrated bang, but a finely nuanced, immensely deep, elegant and complex wine.
It matures for at least a year in 300 to 400-liter barrels, without any new wood, thus keeping the tannin structure in the background and letting the multilayered aromas of the grape unfold playfully on the palate. Fresh acidity grants this wine high potential for many years to come, promising a host of pleasantly rounded notes when it is decanted.
MERLOT
This grape variety comes from Bordeaux but is known throughout the world. On the hillsides of Dragasani, it develops its full potential of elegant scents and keen spices. It matures in oak barrels for at least a year, with carefully measured use of new wood; this results in a dense structure of tastes which never become heavy or overly concentrated. Thus, the wine retains a smooth, harmonious elegance even after many years in the bottle.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
This variety of grape also was brought from France, and has learned to love the landscape and climate of Dragasani. The terroir makes possible a highly intense evolution of this variety, accentuating its fruitiness coupled with complex but not predominant tannins. Only after at least 12 months of maturing in French and Romanian barriques is the wine bottled. An extremely gentle handling of the grapes in the processing and the use of aged barrels ensure that the character of the grape is clearly recognizable in the matured wine.
As a companion to wild game dishes or strong cheese, the whole panoply of taste and complexity is revealed.
CABERNET SAUVIGNON REZERVA
This variety of grape also was brought from France, and has learned to love the landscape and climate of Dragasani. The terroir makes possible a highly intense evolution of this variety, accentuating its fruitiness coupled with complex but not predominant tannins. Only after at least 12 months of maturing in French and Romanian barriques is the wine bottled. An extremely gentle handling of the grapes in the processing and the use of aged barrels ensure that the character of the grape is clearly recognizable in the matured wine.
As a companion to wild game dishes or strong cheese, the whole panoply of taste and complexity is revealed.
NEGRU DE DRAGASANI REZERVA
Descendant of the varieties of Negru Vartos and Babeasca Neagra, the diversity of the Dragasani region is reflected in this variety – the warm and sunny climate, the whole range of fruits and spices and the charm of the inhabitants.
After ageing for at least one year in oak barrels, this wine is presented with a dense bouquet in the nose and velvety elegance in the mouth – seductive, inviting for more, never tiring. The tannin structure intensifies, but it never covers the particular character of the Negru de Dragasani variety. It is suitable as a companion to young and fresh cheeses as well as roastbeef or other fine meat, but also to pasta and risotto in Italian cuisine.
MERLOT REZERVA
Our appreciation for the humanitarian projects and charitable activities of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Romania inspired us in 2011 to dedicate them a limited edition of the Stirbey winery: “Merlot Rezerva – Ordinul de Malta”.
Produced from the best Merlot grapes in the Stirbey vineyard, manually picked and selected, carefully vinified, reducing technical interventions to a minimum, preserving the character of the grapes, typical for this variety and for the terroir of Dragasani. After fermentation on natural yeasts and maceration on skins for 6 weeks, the wine was racked into Romanian barriques – of which 50% new barrels -, aged for 2 years and bottled without fine filtration.
The result is an elegant and well-balanced wine, with a bouquet of blackberries and ripe plums, leather tones, cinnamon and coffee beans. The texture of fine tannins, flavours of black pepper and bitter chocolate give the wine a persistent body, deep and long, but not heavy: a perfect balance between texture, acidity and flavours. The wine has a high ageing potential of at least 8-10 years.
By purchasing this wine, you support the projects of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Romania with a donation of 10 RON per bottle.
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GENIUS LOCI
FETEASCA REGALA GENIUS LOCI 2013
“Genius Loci”, or “Spirit of the Place”, from the latin origin of the French notion of “Terroir” – but with an additional accent on the notion of creating, imminent to the farmer´s work, especially in the winegrower´s work – offers a new access to a wine region and to its very specific winemaking traditions. With our range of “Genius Loci” we intend to offer wines strictly linked to our wine region Dragasani, and so typical that they become unique:
Our wine of Feteasca Regala Genius Loci 2013 was created of a traditional Romanian grape variety, in the century-old method of vinification of winegrowers in Dragasani, using only wooden barrels, letting the wine ferment spontaneously, without adding selected yeast, avoiding any technical or chemical treatments – apart of adding sulphur and a soft filtering. After having fermented in Romanian oak barrels, it was aged for 18 months in the same barrels on the fine lees.
The unique character of this grape variety is different from all other white grapes in Romania, due to its bouquet of exotic fruits and its intense structure of fine tannins from its berries´ skin – a rarity between all other white grape varieties.
This specific character evolved even better during this traditional vinification process: the tannis are very well integrated in the wine, which in this way becomes perfectly round and balanced and obtains a higher ageing potential. We recoomend you to enjoy it over the coming years at very special occasions, deserving this creation of the Genius Loci from Dragasani!
CUVEE GENIUS LOCI 2013
This wine is made of Novac and Negru de Dragasani grapes, from a small plot planted according to the “traditional method”, each vine growing on a wooden stick. We harvest both varieties at the same time and vinify them together, to obtain a true “vineyard blend”. After ageing for one year in Romanian oak barrels, the intense bouquet of Negru de Dragasani is in full harmony with the spicy flavours of Novac.
With this wine we continue our range of “Genius Loci” wines, inspired by the “Spirit of the Place” of Dragasani, created from local varieties, following the local traditions applied both to the vineyard and the wine cellar. Thus the “Spirit of the Place” may inspire wine lovers to fully appreciate these wines: A bottle of wine, regardless how excellent it might be, never is able to explain itself in its integrity. But it may be known very well by someone who touched the soil of its birthplace, looked into the eyes of the people who live there, and appreciates the light, the morphology, the peasants´ work, their houses and even the cooking of this region – we invite you to visit us and discover the “Genius Loci” of Dragasani!
SPARKLING
SPUMANT CRAMPOSIE 2018
Already in the early 20th century, experts from France and Germany discovered that Cramposie was a suitable variety for producing sparkling wine. Ours is made only of Cramposie grapes and is produced in the traditional “champenoise” way: the base wine´s first fermentation in tanks was followed by a secondary fermentation in the bottles, where the wine aged on yeast for four years. After the wine has aged properly, it was riddled by hand for two weeks and then disgorged. For the dosage we use only the same sparkling wine, without adding any sugar, resulting a true “brut nature”.
Thus, given the high acidity, combined with fine minerality and fresh and elegant fruitiness, a sparkling wine is obtained, which awakes all senses by its easy and seducing finesse , reflecting the spirit of the place where it was born in and about the genius of the people who created it.
SPUMANT ROSE 2013
This sparkling wine is vinified of Novac grapes, vintage 2013, in the traditional method, or “Methode Champenoise”: the still wine, after having aged 6 months in oak barrels, fermented for a second time in bottles. After 3 years of aging on the lees in the bottles, we disgorged it in January 2018, without dosage, therefore finishing it as extra brut.
The result is a sparkling wine with an elegant bouquet of fresh fruits in the nose, a fine and persistent perlage and a pleasant balance on the palate.
You may enjoy it with smoked fish, foie gras or elegant poultry or veal. Or you take it as a key to open the doors for conversation and socializing.