DOC Mehedinţi 

Located within the regions of Banat and Oltenia, in Southwest Romania and the border with SerbiaMehedinţi County is a generous area for viticulture and enology. The entire area is replete with wineries and the vineyard hills are almost boundless. The explanation lies in the excellent natural conditions that the DOC site benefits of:

  • temperate-continental climate with Mediterranean influences;
  • red-brown soils of medium texture, with black earth, clay, and loam, rich in iron oxide;
  • hot and dry summers followed by mild winters;
  • the opportunity to plant vines on smooth slopes and plateaus with southern exposure;
  • very good solar exposure, rich helio resources, and good atmospheric precipitations.

Obviously, a terroir like the one in Mehedinţi could not be overlooked throughout the centuries. The wine and the vines in this area have been mentioned since ancient times. But the first official document of the area of Mehedinţi DOC was made in 1407 during the rule of the famous Mircea cel Batran (in En: Mircea the Elder) (1397-1418).

The story continued and is still maintained today, through the work of two representative wineries for the Mehedinţi regionCorcova Roy&Dâmboviceanu and Vinarte.

Şerban Dâmboviceanu

Corcova Roy&Dâmboviceanu is a winery founded by Şerban Dâmboviceanu and Michel Roy in 2005 which revives the millennial tradition of wine from this village. Spread over an area of 60 hectares, the plantation from Corcova includes French varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat OttonelChardonnay, Pinot Noir, MerlotCabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The classical local variety, Fetească Neagră, is planted here, with excellent results.

During 2008-2009, they managed to completely restore the cellar built by Anton Bibescu after the original plans. And thus succeeded in preserving something from the Bibescu family era and from the early period of the 20th century, when the wines produced in Corcova were delivered to Paris to be tasted by the artists of the period, lead by Marcel Proust.

Also, in Mehedinţi lies Castel Stârmina winery, with an area of 190 hectares. Of the three wineries owned by VINARTE in three different regions, this one is the largest surface owned. The maritime climate, provided by the Danube, along with Mediterranean influences helped winemakers to experiment until some outstandingly unique wines were created. Thus, at Stârmina they started to produce Sirena Dunării, a sweet white wine made after the Sauternes method of using late-harvest dried grapes. The red wines are also highlighted, examples in this respect being Prince Mircea or Nedeea, a blend of three Romanian varieties – Fetească NeagrăNegru de Drăgăşani and Novac.

In August 1994, Carl Reh Trading Company set up in Romania, aiming to select Romanian wines for international market. In June 1997, the division, settled at Oprişor, made the decision to produce their own wines from the grapes cultivated at the time on the already existent Oltenian vine-estate plantations in the Mehedinţi area.
Step by step, the hills and slopes making up Golul Drincei’s wine-growing “amphitheatre”, covering a surface of 250 hectares, were replanted with grapevine.

Although the entire wine produced at Oprisor were directed exclusively towards international market, in 2001 there were launched the first Romanian labels – VAL DUNA and LA CETATE /AT THE CITADEL/ brands.

Oprisor is proud to preserve Oltenia’s traditions, customs and beliefs through their wines, and  to bring to life but the values of a present which people taste, recognize and appreciate.

The main varieties of grapes in Oprisor distributed on a 252 area of vineyards are made of: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rhein Riesling, Tămâioasă Românească, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Fetească Neagră, Shiraz, Dornfelder, Zinfandel.

The Mehedinţi DOC has the credit of being a region in constant evolution, “open” in introducing new grape varieties and winemaking styles and recognized for producing flavourful wines with rich extract, and good ageing potential.