“It’s a normal production fluctuation. It was not a year below normal parameters, either by volume or by quality. One of the best years for the wine sector was 2008,” said Ovidiu Gheorghe, chief executive of the National Vineyard Growers and Wine Producers Association (PNVV).
“To have an equally good year, we need good weather, which is the main factor that influences the quality of wine.”
Although production was down, the decline was lower than in 2014. Romania has about 180,000 of productive vineyards and the companies in this business are talking about vineyard replanting. A number of old vineyards, whose productivity was low are being replaced with new more productive ones.
Moreover, the number of wineries has increased in the past few years, and they are beginning to contribute to total production. The newest names on the market, such as Crama Liliac, LacertA, S.E.R.V.E and Crama Avincis, joined established businesses such as Cotnari and Vincon.
There are more than 140 wineries operating in Romania, most of which (27) in Muntenia (province in the south of the country), according to CrameRomania.ro and Revino.ro, two platforms promoting wine tourism.
At the end of 2014, there were about 220 companies whose business was ‘manufacture of wine from grape’, whose revenue stood at 660 million lei (EUR148 million), according to the latest data available from the Finance Ministry. (EUR1=RON4.4671)
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)