Romanian wineries focus on the domestic market, covering most of the consumption, while imports stood at about EUR40 million last year.
Romania, which ranks fifth by total area under vines in vineyards in Europe and is also one of the Europe’s major wine producers, is unable to boost exports because it is still not seen as a winemaking country, so the prices Romanian companies get are low.
”It is really difficult to export, and volumes are not high because we keep running into this wine’s place of origin problem,” says Claudiu Necsulescu, owner of Jidvei, one of the largest local winemakers. Jidvei exports only 8% of its production, having focused on its home market since the beginning.
Average price per liter of wine exported was EUR1.9, according to WEPA. Switzerland paid the highest price for Romanian wine, but it only bought a very small amount. Romania’s three largest export markets, UK, China and Germany pay EUR1.7, almost EUR2.5 and EUR1.2 per liter.
Lowest prices are those offered by the Republic of Moldova (a winemaking country itself, EUR0.9) and Hungary (EUR0.96).
The United Kingdom is the biggest export market for Romanian wines, and the leading exporters are Halewood and Recas. Halewood Romania is held by the British group by the same name, which started local production in 1997, when it also entered local exporter ranking.
Halewood’ exports to this country stood at 1.3 million bottles out 3 million sold abroad in 2014.
“UK is one of the most interesting destinations because everything we buy, such as bottles, labels, workforce, we buy in euros or lei and we get paid in pounds,” says Dan Muntean, general manager of Halewood Romania.
“The pound to euro rate was 1.16 to 1.20 in May last year and now it is 1.40, so every exporter, not only those in Romania but also those in Australia and Chile want to export to the UK now. As a result, prices will fall and profitability will change again.”
Cramele Recas’ shareholders include Briton Philip Cox. Exports account for 40% of Cramele Recas’ revenue and UK is its main export market.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)