Between August 22-26, eight members of the Bucovina Legate, together with their families, traveled a Dobrogean route including wine tastings, gastronomic experiences and visits to tourist attractions.
On the first day, in the village of Greci – near Măcin -, I had an interesting discussion about Dobrogean viticulture and not only, with the brother R.H. Nini Andone, president of the Oenological Commission of the Romanian Consulate of the EVE Consulate, right at the point of processing grapes from the 7 ha of his property (where he has two parcels with niche varieties: Negru de Sarichioi – a variety of Cinsault – and Somoveancă – a variety of Aramon Griș -). Nini accompanied us, in the immediate vicinity of his winery, to the Troesmis Fortress, located on the banks of the Măcin arm, and to the man-made lake Iacobdeal, famous for the emerald color of its water. In the evening, we were treated to a “proțap de plătică”, prepared by Gabriel Tremurici at Taverna Le GaFish in Sarichioi.
The next day was dedicated to the Hamangia winery in Baia. At the invitation of Brother Ioan Bălan, we attended a special event that traditionally kicks off the grape harvest: the religious ceremony of consecration of the grapes – officiated by P.S. Visarion, Bishop of Tulcea, followed by the pagan ritual of the first musturea of the new harvest performed by young girls, barefoot.
The third day started with a visit to the archaeological site of the Histria Fortress. Then, on the way to Constanta, a short stop at the Local Gastronomic Point Sibioara, where we tasted a Georgian recipe: eggplant and walnut rolls. Under the competent guidance of Diana Slav, we visited the Casino and the sights of the Historical Peninsula of Constanta. In the evening, we visited the new wine cellar in Siminoc of Brother Ion Vlădoi and tasted the wines of the Vlădoi Family.
The last day began with a visit to a place considered by the Romanian Orthodox Church as the first Christian place of worship in Romania: the Cave of St. Andrew. Our steps then took us to the triumphal monument Tropaeum Traiani in Adamclisi. Perhaps the most oenologically relevant moment of our whole Dobrogean expedition was the visit to Crama Viișoara, one of the most modernly equipped wine cellars in Romania. We were greeted with lots of information, exciting stories and excellent wines by owner Gheorghe Albu and winemaker Nicu Itu. Then we visited the recently restored fortress of Capidava. The day ended in Topalu, at Crama Darie, a boutique winery, where we were greeted with very good wines and an exceptional gastronomic surprise: a sea cat.
Amicitia per Vinum
Eques Dragoș Danubianu
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