DOC Samburesti

The Sâmbureşti vineyard is situated in the southern part of the country at 44 ° 48 ‘north latitude and 24 ° 48 “south longitude, 20 km east of the Drăgăşani vineyard and holds a privileged position due to its location in the transition zone between the getic hills and the long hills that make up the southern half of Cotmeana Piedmont, formed south of the Southern Carpathians.

The vineyards are located on the south-eastern side of the Sâmbureşti hills, at the foot of which flows the waters of Cungrea Mare and Geamana, tributaries of the Olt River, with an opening south to south with southwest slopes, bathed in the sun and providing an oenoclimate especially for vineyards. The Sâmbureşti vineyard is famous for red wines produced in this geographical area as well Cabernet Sauvignon, but also Pinot Noir, Merlot and Big Burgund. Cabernet Sauvignon distinguishes itself from other wines obtained in this area through robustness, vigor, strong character, personality, all given by the richness of the compounds participating in the wines color, taste and flavor. Red wines of Samburesti and especially Cabernet Sauvignon improve their qualities through maturing in barrels and aging in glass. They are harsh, slightly wild in the first months of life, and then gather together, following the changes during time, qualities that address to all senses: visual, olfactory, tasteful, making it hard to forget as the qualities are discovered. The “SÂMBUREŞTI” DOC may be completed, depending on the producers interest with one of the following wine-growing names: DEALU BOLINDEU, DEALU BOLOVANU, BATIA. The vineyards exposure is south, south-west or south-east, most of the plantations being situated on line slopes and plateaus. For many, Samburesti seems a young wine region with an ultra-recent history, but things are far from being so.

The modern story of Sâmbureşti wine is linked to the name of a former Prime Minister of Romania: Vintilă Bratianu. Although the hills of Sâmbureşti were planted with vineyards long before the great liberal family, this noble vineyard took at the beginning of the 20th century a radical decision, which will influence the evolution of the vineyard to this day. He invited the famous oenologist Auguste Joseph Ville to come to Sâmbureşti in 1906 to restore the vineyards of the destroyed family because of the phylloxera. In fact, he definitively leaved France in 1893, being sent by the French state, at the request of the Romanian government, with the mission of helping Romania to recover the destroyed vineyards. Auguste Joseph Ville brings for the first time the Muscat Ottonel and Merlot varieties, as well as others. In Sâmbureşti, the story of the wine begins long before the moment we scored. The favorable location for vine cultivation throughout the region makes specialists do not exclude the idea that these places have been part of the Geto-Dacic plantations. Moreover, in the Drăgăşani area there is a Roman camp and settlement from the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD, and the Drăgăşani vineyard was named “the voivodal vineyard of the Oltenia Kings”, appearing in numerous documents starting with the voivode Mircea the Elder. The first documentary mention of the Sâmbureşti vineyard and the wine was production here is from 1638. The vineyard entered in the possession of  Marco Danovici, the founder of the monastery in Sâmbureşti and Dan Danilovich’s nephew.

VINARTE Castel Bolovanu

Vinarte is one of the oldest and most respected modern Romanian wine producers, which produce high quality wines in two regions: Starmina and Samburesti In Sâmbureşti, Olt County, Vinarte now has a total area of ​​60 hectares. The viticultural area of ​​the Bolovanueste vineyard is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Romania. With regard to recent archaeological discoveries, the hypothesis of its existence 2000 years ago has been formulated.The mineral composition is typical of alluvial soils, with the possibility to produce wines of special character. Exposure to the southwest of the terraces allows for a quiet ripening of grape growing cycles.

The ideal microclimate in these realms offers an excellent balance between sugar, acidity and polyphenols. Here, Vinarte produces famous wines in, and outside Romania: Soare and Castel Bolovanu, both from Cabernet Sauvignon which are considered as landmarks for this variety.