Wine "Murfatlar" is produced in Romania in the region of the same name. Few people know that in 2005 this country occupied the 12th place in terms of the volume of wine produced in the world. And the Murfatlar region, located in the coastal zone of the Black Sea, is one of the best in Romania.
brief information
Winemaking in Romania has a very rich and long history, as, in fact, in many Eastern European countries. Before classic Western European varieties were introduced into the territory in the eighteenth century, local grapes such as Zghihara de Husi, Cramposia de Dragasani and Galbena de Odobesti were mainly cultivated here. Now the basis of Romanian winemaking is imported varieties.
In this country, the climate is ideal for creating wine masterpieces. Everything is fine here: the ratio of sunny to rainy days, and the soil under the vineyards.
If you have a desire to try wine from Murfatlar, then you should pay attention to such positions as chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir.
They are all gorgeous. By the way, some for some reason consider the Murfatlar wine to be Hungarian. This is not true. This region is located in Romania, and therefore the wine is also Romanian.
SC MURFATLAR ROMANIA SA
This company is currently the largest winery in Romania. The company owns four thousand hectares of vineyards and a modern winery in the south-eastern part of the country on the Dobrudja plateau, which is located between the Danube and the Black Sea.
Romanian wine "Murfatlar" is made exclusively from its own grapes. The volume of production is forty-two million liters per year of bottled wine.
The company's vineyards are awarded the category "DOK", which means "controlled by origin", that is, wines with this name came from a particular area in which only certain grape varieties grow. These items are under the control of a special state agency (ONDOV). Only a product from this territory can bear the name "Murfatlar" wine, its photo is below. All other drinks either have a double name or an outright fake.
Winery area
Murfatlar is located in the south-east of the country, in the Dobrogea region, as mentioned above. This area is located between the Danube and the Black Sea coast. The climate here is temperate continental. It is positively affected by the proximity of the Danube River, as well as the Black Sea. A wavy relief with gentle slopes also has a positive effect on the vines. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 90-110 meters above sea level. Soils are also very suitable - limestone chernozem, it has excellent permeability and moderate humus content.
There are many sunny days, which contributes to the proper ripening of berries. The growing season depends on the variety and lasts from 195 to 210 days. In order to get sweet or semi-sweet wines, the harvest is harvested late: in October-November.
The famous Romanian wines "Kotnari" and "Murfatlar" are most often made from ripe grapes.
How Murfatlar appeared
This vineyard was known more than one thousand years ago. Here the Thracians still planted noble berries, and after that - the ancient Greeks in the fourth or fifth century BC.
And to this moment in Romania near the sea there are many cities whose names clearly have Greek roots: Tomis, Kallatis, Istria, Enisala and many others.
In the area of these cities, archaeological excavations quite often take place, and it is they who prove that they were engaged in winemaking here even in that ancient time.
In the year 106 A.D. e. this area was captured by the Romans (then it was called the state of the Dacians) and was part of the great Empire until the year 271. New settlers made a great contribution to the development of winemaking. They brought with them new varieties of vines and taught various methods of making the drink.
Now, near the Murfatlar vineyard, a museum of the history of winemaking is open. There are many exhibits that confirm that on this territory wine was produced before the Greeks, and during them, and during the Romans.
Name history
The word "murfatlar" has ancient Turkish roots and comes from "murvet", which means "rich or good man." Over time, the word changed and began to sound like "Murfat", and the name "Murfatlar" appeared from it.
Excellent winemakers have always worked in these territories, regardless of who at that moment dominated the lands.
Murfatlar in the twentieth century
After the phylloxera invasion, which affected almost all continents, the restoration of vineyards began in 1907. It was then that the “Experimental Murfatlar Vineyard” was planted. Then they gave about ten hectares of land under it and planted vines brought from France there. These were such varieties as Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and some others.
In 1913-1916, two Romanians who completed their studies in France in Champagne opened sparkling wine production here. It was called "Tears of Ovid." But the experience was not very successful, since in this region it is better to grow late-harvest grapes and make sweet and liqueur wines from it. That is why in 1927 new grape varieties appeared here, such as “Muscat”, “Sauvignon”, “Riesling”, “Traminer”, “Merlot” and “Cabernet Sauvignon”. In 1939, wines from Murfatlar are served in the court of King Carol II of Romania.
Now the vineyard is again awarded the title of “Supplier of the Court of His Royal Majesty”, as in this country to this day there is a monarch.
In 1954, vineyards in this region were nationalized to create a state-owned enterprise. At that time, their area was two thousand one hundred hectares. Then a lot of wine "Murfatlar" went to the market of Russia and other republics of the Union. At the moment, SC MURFATLAR ROMANIA SA continues to be the largest producer in Romania.
Wine "Murfatlar" in our time
At the international exhibition in Italy in Verona, which was held in 2014, drinks from the Murfatlar vineyards were awarded the prestigious award “The Best Producer of the Year”. Then this award received only three European manufacturers. Wines "Murfatlar" over the past fifty years received more than two hundred medals.
Variety of wines from famous vineyards
First of all, Murfatlar wines became known as natural semisweet and sweet wines made from raisins, but now dry wines from these territories have begun to gain popularity. Moreover, they were appreciated not only by ordinary consumers, but also specialists from European countries.