In Vrancea, which has over 26,000 hectares of vines, i.e. 10% of Romania’s wine-growing area, and where over 100 million liters of wine are produced annually, oenological tourism is little developed compared to other areas with vineyards. However, feeling the potential of this activity, Vrânci winegrowers have started investing in accommodation or tasting structures in recent years.
According to the viticultural entrepreneur Daniel Guzu, who entered the viticulture industry 16 years ago, and 4 years ago he also developed an oenological tourism project in Șifeşti, investments in facilities for tourists are difficult to amortize for a viticulturist.
“I was born here, I made wine with my grandfather. I loved this activity and said to achieve excellence in what I do, because I am passionate. (…) I had this chance to have money from another industry and to be able to invest here. There is no economic foundation to make such investments (in oenological tourism, no). Most of the companies in this field are at the level of subsistence, of survival. There are few companies that have managed, through an efficient market, to reach considerable profits, which would allow them to make such investments”, says Guzu.
Other producers are more optimistic and consider wine tourism a natural step to promote, through the story, wine and local culture. “Romanians still look at this direction with skepticism, but I see a very big future. Somehow we promote the area, the local culture, the landscapes, the tradition and I think we can engage even the locals. (…) Most of those who visit us wine out of curiosity, they want to see what wine production means, to discover the winery, the people, the story behind the wine. Here is the secret”, says Livia Gârboiu, marketing director of a winery in Vrancea.
One of the producers who opened their wineries to visitors is Marius Pricope from Străoane. “I believe that oenological tourism is a priority for all wineries. At the moment, we do small tastings at the winery, with visits to the fields, but we do not have the opportunity to offer a culinary experience, but in the future we want to combine wine with cuisine and traditional gastronomy, to collaborate with local producers from our area”, he said, for Agerpres, Marius Pricope.
Livia Gârboiu is of the opinion that local producers should have more confidence and raise standards, which would result in the inevitable development of professional tourism, especially since, in Romania, wineries have a great asset, that of the facilities a high technological level, which surprises even foreign tourists.
Several years ago, the Vrancea County Council initiated the “Road of the Vrânce vineyards” project, which in the end was limited only to the installation of a few panels and a few events to promote some vineyards. (CZ)
