Romania's wine output grows 15% in 2023

The Romanian wine industry is on the rise, with over 50 new wineries certified in the past ten months, bringing to 473 the number of local wineries which can produce wines with Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC), Geographical Indication (IG), or varietal wines, Wines of Romania said in a press release on February 15.

In the past three years, producers have shifted their focus to local varieties, with cultivated area on the rise. In contrast, the areas cultivated with international varieties have been slightly reduced, data aggregated by Wines of Romania shows. There has also been a growing appetite among local producers to cultivate less common varieties, such as Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Viognier.

For local varieties, the most significant increase in terms of cultivated area was registered by Busuioaca de Bohotin, from 785 hectares (ha) in 2021 to 912 hectares last year. Area planted with Feteasca Regala, the most popular Romanian variety, increased from 12,007 in 2021 to 12,083 ha in 2023.

Wines for Romania is a fully private organisation for promotion of Romanian wines at home and abroad, according to its website.