Wine, Stories & Moments (I)

We are the masters of our own dreams

“Sometimes the best therapy is to have a good wine with your friends”…

Someone once told me that it is very important to have dreams and to  fight for what you wish for in life if you want to achieve your goals. Ambition and dreams fit very well together and can shape in time what makes you vibrate, what makes you feel alive, they can lead you on a path that only you have designed. I believe that passion is the key to success and when you have the support in this context, everything can only evolve positively. And because there are moments that define our existence, that define us as human beings and that can bring great changes, I think it is good to live every moment and take advantage of every experience.

Yes, 2020 left a bitter taste, it was a year that has redefined our lives in many ways, at the same time it helped us to have more time for ourselves and reflect on what we really want, on the things that matter, to learn from every experience and from every good or bad moment, to look at things as a new beginning, to stop pretending, to move on to the facts, to breathe, to enjoy everything around us.

I have always been attracted to the world of wine and in recent years I have focused more on discovering them and cultivating this passion. Each wine has a special story, whether we are talking about Romanian wines or wines from other countries, such as Italy, Spain or France, although I have fallen in love with Italy and its wines.

I have chosen for this post 4 wines that can be easily purchased, very suitable as a value for money and which I am sure you will appreciate as much as I appreciate them.

The first wine is Issa Charm from Crama la Salina. It is a sparkling wine obtained by the Charmat method from 100% Chardonnay. The harvest is done exclusively by hand, the sparkling wine is characterized by a fine but lively pearlage, having a special freshness. It is fruity with notes notes of mango, green apple and citrus which makes it extremely versatile and suitable for warm summer evenings. I admit that among the many sparkling wines I have tried so far, La Salina Winery managed to obtain a very good result.

Passing along to the white wines, personally, because I am a big admirer of the Antonutti winery, from the Friuli region I propose for this summer Ribolla Gialla. If you have not yet had the opportunity to taste this variety, then it is time to do so without hesitation. In the vinification process, the grapes are lightly pressed, followed by fermentation on selected yeasts. Maturation takes place in stainless steel tanks followed by bottle aging. The straw-yellow wine is distinguished by its special freshness, the notes are subtle, floral with a well-balanced acidity.

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The second white wine is Pinot Grigio Ramato, obtained from 100% Pinot Grigio, from the Antonutti winery. When I first tasted this wine it was in 2019 during the trip in Italy, right at the winery. I still remember how Nicola Durandi welcomed us and how passionately he talked about their wines. He was especially proud of this wine, which is characterized by its copper color, hence Ramato. The vinification process is at least interesting and achieved by the lightly pressing the grapes, followed by a cold maceration at a controlled temperature between 6-8 degrees for 12 hours. It is followed by fermentation on selected yeasts, maturation in stainless steel tanks and later, of course, the bottle ageing. You will be amazed first of all by the gorgeous and coppery color of this white wine. The notes are fresh, slightly fruity and we clearly distinguish especially the pear, the acidity is very well balanced, overall I would place it as a perfect fresh wine for this summer.

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We are returning to Romania and we are enjoying an Issa Rose this summer as well. It is a light wine, ideal for summer if you prefer a light rose wine, but I recommend serving it very well chilled. From the first tasting, I considered it a lovely surprise, being obtained 100% from Pinot Noir grapes, vinified in rose, in classic style. The color is quite light, and the predominant notes on the taste buds are those of strawberries, as a result of the vinification of Pinot Noir.

You can order the wines of the Antonuti winery directly from the distributor vinrepede.ro. It is a online wine shop where you will find both the wines proposed by me and a  wide variety of local or imported wines.

The La Salina Winery wines, I recommend accessing the website https://cramalasalina.ro/ where you will be directed to the locations where the wines can be purchased directly or to the online store option.

When I wrote these lines I was truly inspired by a cold rain that reminded me of a cold spring rather than a hot summer that we are having now. I wrote this post from the comfort of a beautiful house that made me understand and appreciate even more the ambition to work for what you want, to work hard to achieve your goals. In the background i listened to a song whose lyrics I understand only now a song which remains forever close to my heart. I won’t tell you which one it is, after all we all have our secrets. Life has both ups and downs but I think the most important thing is to create your own path and to follow it, just as it matters to push yourself to achieve great things. That’s what I have learned and what will guide me forever.

Have a wonderful summer with great wines!

Text: Yle B.

Pics: Cleopatra Coman