Romanian wines off to rediscover America

Millions of Romanian wine bottles used to reach the shelves of American supermarkets before 1989, due to a partnership concluded with soft drinks company Pepsi Cola. The exports of Romanian wine to the United States of America are now amounting to only several hundred thousand bottles, but the domestic producers want to regain as big a slice of the overseas wine market as possible.
The story of the exports of Romanian wines across the Ocean began in the ’80s when a division of Pepsi Cola, Sazerac, started distribution on the American market.
The business was devised by the former Communist authorities in such a way that the Romanian wines reached the American market, whilst Pepsi Cola was granted exclusive rights over a market where soft drinks were rather hard to come by. The brand of the exported Romanian wines was Premiat – A Monsieur Henri Wine Collection.
“Following UK and Russia, the US is the third-largest market for the Romanian bottled wine exports. Last year, only 6% to 8% of the total wine exports went to the USA. We may say they will increase this year, but a more powerful revival is expected for 2003,” Basil Zarnoveanu, chairman of the Association of Wine Makers and Exporters says.
Exports in 2001 amounted to more than $20 million, which means the American market absorbed some $1.5 million’s worth in Romanian wine.
The red wine assortments exported to the American market include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, whilst the white wines exported include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Zarnoveanu says some of the companies supplying the US with wine are Cramele (wine cellars) Recas, Cramele Prahova, Vie Vin Murfatlar, Cotnari and Vinia Iasi.
The Cramele Recas, owned by a Romanian-British company is preparing to sell 500,000 bottles on the American market next year, following sales of only 20,000 bottles this year. The wine exported by Cramele Recas is a red one and was called Vampire, capitalising on the legend of Count Dracula.
“Red wines sell better on the American market,” Zarnoveanu says.