Treat yourself to some Romanian sparkling wines

If you are looking for something festive for the season, take a look at our selection of Romanian sparkling wines. Historically, Romania was the fourth country in the world to produce sparkling wines, after France (1544), Ukraine (1799), and Germany (1826). You might be impressed by the bubbly offer.

By Oana Vasiliu

Whether you're stocking up for parties, or just buying a bottle for NYE, these Romanian selections will not disappoint

Award-winning Carastelec Carassia must be on everyone’s list. It is made exclusively by bottle fermentation and maturation, using the Champenoise method. The Carastelec Winery (Salaj county, northern Transylvania) and its sparkling wines contributed to the introduction of Romania as a sparkling wine producing country in the luxurious fourth edition of Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine in 2020, and since then, the company has received several other awards. Best bet: Carassia Classic Brut (from RON 85), a classic assemblage of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier, creating a deep, complex sparkling with a rich and precise mousse with pronounced biscuity notes—a subtle combination of structure, length, and purity.

Podgoria Silvana is located in the Silvanei Hills region (Salaj county), being the northernmost winery in Romania, and its grape varieties include Feteasca Regala, Pinot Noir, Muscat Ottonel, Feteasca Alba, Chardonnay, and Traminer. Since 1974, real champagne has been produced here using the traditional French Champenoise method, with glass fermentation, which is related to the types of wine that are produced. The most precious feature of the place is the unique microclimate, which ensures a natural fermentation that is carried out over a period of 2-3 years. The wine matures slowly with the help of specially selected yeasts, during which time the positions of the bottles go through a series of inclinations and settlements at different angles. Their sparkling wines start from RON 50.

Prince Stirbey (Dragasani region, Valcea county) offers a couple of sparkling wines: the Stirbey Cramposie Spumant and the Stirbey Spumant Rose ExtraBrut (from RON 95). In the early 20th century, experts from France and Germany discovered that Cramposie grapes were a suitable variety for producing sparkling wine. Stirbey Cramposie Spumant is also produced in the traditional Champenoise way: the base wine’s first fermentation in tanks is followed by a secondary fermentation in bottles, where the wine us aged on yeast for four years. After the wine has aged properly, it is riddled by hand for two weeks and then disgorged. For the dosage, the wine yard uses only the same sparkling wine, not adding any sugar, resulting in a true “brut nature.”

Bauer J.O.H.A.N.N.A. is an authentic Romanian wine made from a native grape variety, Feteasca Regala, and aged for more than five years in the cellars at Crama Bauer, in the south of Romania, at the Dragasani vineyard (Valcea county). The wine is produced using the authentic méthode traditionelle, whereby after the second fermentation in bottles, the wine spends a staggering 48 months on fine lees (sur lie ageing), and it is produced in limited edition of only 1,500 bottles. This is also a so-called millésime sparkling wine, which means that it is created from a single harvest—that of 2016—and it is dedicated to Johanna Braun, the great aunt of oenologist Oliver Bauer. Prices start at RON 120.

Rhein Extra Imperial Brut is a single-varietal sparkling wine made with Chardonnay grapes (this style is called Blanc de Blancs) and produced in accordance with the classic Champenoise method. With extensive sur lie ageing (ageing on fine lees), this is the winemaker’s flagship cuvée. Rhein Extra (Dealu Mare region, Prahova county) is the oldest Romanian classic sparkling wine, with its first appearance at Pivnitele Rhein in 1892. In 1920, Rhein Extra became the official supplier of the Romanian Royal Family. Bottles are priced from RON 40.