Winery Focus : Domeniile Averesti
This month we put the focus on a fine winery of Romania, Domeniile Averesti. Dedicated to the cultivation of native grapes and traditional winemaking, we take a look at their new wines added to our range and delve into the long history of the area that produced wines for thousands of years.
THE WINERY REGION
The village of Averesti is well regarded as a viticultural centre, lying on the outskirts of north-east Romania in Vaslui County in the surrounds of the wonderfully vibrant Husi wine region. This area was part of the oldest confirmed European civilisation, the pre-Dacian Cucuteni society of the Neolithic era, with evidence of a culture of subsistence farming that included vine cultivation.
Domeniile Averesti are dedicated to the rebirth of ancient Romanian varieties, particularly Zghihara de Husi and Busuioaca de Bohotin, as well as cultivating French varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet or Aligote. So attached to tradition, every year they bury a bottle of the first wine obtained in the coolest part of the cellar, as an offering to plantations and those who have worked in the surrounds throughout time.
THE GRAPE
The Avereşti team have one of the largest plantings of Busuioaca de Bohotin in Romania (105 ha). This rare native variety delights with highly aromatic wines and its red-purple grapes allow it to provide excellent rose wines and a unique element to red blends. Its name is derived from the Romanian word "busuioc" for basil, reflecting its distinctive basil-like aroma. A true jewel of ancient oenological Romanian heritage, Averesti ensure care and protection.
Traditional Romanian food pairings include Cozonac (traditional sweet bread with walnut paste), Papanasi (semolina and cottage cheese doughnuts) and Telemea (sheeps milk feta). This makes it great with western European pastries, salads, mild crumbly cheeses, and often fish and seafood dishes.
THE RANGE
The Herb range celebrates the power of native grapes, with the name denoting both aromatic plants and the old Romanian name for coat of arms or noble blood.
Their Herb Busuioaca de Bohotin Rose is an excellent example of this grape at its finest. Manually harvested and removed from the grape cluster without crushing, it is then cooled to 10C and press macerated for 6-8 hours. The resulting free run juice is clarified before fermentation in stainless steel tanks for 20 days. This creates a wine of warm salmon-pink appearance showing well-matured basil aromas and aerial rose accents. The taste is a balance between floral rose and grapefruit, which brings a sensation of freshness. The long, pleasant finish adds sweet red fruit sensations.
Their Herb Feteasca Neagra-Busuioaca de Bohotin blend was a Gold Medal winner at the International Wine Contest Bucharest 2019. Busuioaca de Bohotin grapes are cool macerated in rotating tanks, whilst the Feteasca Neagra for longer at higher temperatures. No oak treatment brings a fresh wine with explosive aromas of berries and cream, red fruit and fine tones of earth and truffles. The full, fine, rustic palate ranges from fresh fruit to jam tones, well punctuated by the pleasant acidity.