Drăgăşani

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The appellation extends over approximately 50 km between the communes of Strejești in the south and Ionești in the north, with an east–west spread of up to approximately 30 km.
• The relief is formed by interfluvial ridges with steep slopes, running parallel to the Olt River and oriented from north to south, with elevations rising from Oporelu (193 m) to Scundu (463 m).
• The parent rock generally consists of an alternation of Tertiary clays, marls, and sands on the slopes and hill crests, and of alluvial deposits of varying textures in the Olt floodplain.
• Soils on the plateau areas are albic luvisols, planosols, and brown luvic (podzolised) soils, while reddish-brown soils appear on the terraces in the southern part of the appellation.
• The climate is temperate continental, with cold winters and warm summers, moderated in its continentality compared with the eastern European interior and with slight Mediterranean influences; the mean annual temperature is 11.3 °C and annual rainfall is 642 mm.

• Documents attesting to the vineyards of Drăgășani date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, during the reign of Mihai Viteazul, who made numerous donations to monasteries that owned vineyard plantings.
• Before the phylloxera outbreak, the principal varieties grown in Drăgășani were Crâmpoșie, Braghină, and Gordan, to which Tămâioasă Românească was later added.

• The traditional wines of Drăgășani had a low alcoholic strength, around 10% vol., and were valued for the freshness imparted by the carbon dioxide retained from incomplete fermentation.
• These wines were obtained from late-harvested grapes, following a long, slow fermentation at low temperature, and retained their lightly acidulous character through to the beginning of spring.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Romania

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-RO-A0286
• Official trade body site — Oficiul Național al Viei și Produselor Vitivinicole (ONVPV) — DOC Drăgăşani