The "Basilescu" wine cellars are reborn

• "Basilescu" to launch two new varieties of wine next year

The "Basilescu" wine cellar will launch two new wines in 2011, said Florin Preda, marketing director with the company. The wines made by "Basilescu" are only targeted at the HoReCa segment and specialized stores. The company began winemaking in 2008. 2010 was its first year on the red wine segment, and the second year in the white wine market segment. The vineyards and the company belong to the Basilescu family. The current winery was rebuilt on the family estate (Nicolae Basilescu, the owner of the vineyards and of the winery, was also the owner of champagne maker "Zarea"). During their ownership by the state following the expropriation, they have belonged to the Urlaţi Winemaking Plant. After getting them back in 1998, most of the vines were replanted, and the winemaking unit is brand new. "We currently own about 100 hectares of vine, of which 60 are located in Urlaţi, in particular red grape varieties, and 40 in Pietroasele, for the white and flavored varieties", said Mr. Preda. The "Basilescu" vineyards grow both foreign and domestic grape varieties. The vineyards of Urlaţi produce "Fetească Neagră", "Cabernet Sauvignon", "Merlot", "Pinot Noir", "Sauvignon Blanc", and the ones in Pietroasele - "Busuioacă de Bohotin", "Tămâioasă Românească", "Fetească Albă", "Riesling Italian".

Starting in 2008 - the year when the first wine under the "Basilescu" brand was relaunched -the emphasis was placed on the quality of the wine. In order to obtain high quality grapes, every year the vine is evaluated and all the excess grape clusters are removed.

The winery has a capacity of about 300,000 liters a year, but it will probably take about 4-5 years to reach that level, as most of the vines are still young.

The company intends to consolidate its position on the domestic market. So far, it has only exported its products when opportunity arose. The company estimates a turnover of about 1-1.5 million Euros next year. In 2010, the company"s sales amounted to approximately 700,000-800,000 Euros.

"Basilescu" has invested over six million Euros, of which the three million were spent on the winemaking unit. The rest of the amount was spent on the replanting of the vines, in the reconstruction of the mansion and in the renovation of the former champagne production unit. Part of the financing came from European funds.

Florin Preda said that the company plans to produce a range of premium wines and added: "The Romanian market has a specific dynamic and is far from having settled. Most of the producers are beginning to place emphasis on quality, and imported wines are also a strong contender".