VINEYARD:

In Viișoara, grape picking is done only by hand, when the grapes get enough sugar for each variety.

In the Winery, no added sugar or other sweeteners are used, but only the sugar that exists in the grapes. And another very interesting thing happens at the Viișoara Winery: only grapes from their own harvest are processed and not grapes brought from other plantations.

GRAPES

Only grapes from their harvest are cultivated because they know very well the technology and the way the vines were maintained. Close attention is paid to the grapes because good wine begins in the vineyard and in the winery good grapes are only processed with the objective of producing the best quality of wines.

VARIETIES

The varieties grown with material with origin from France include: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel,Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon while the category of varieties grown with material from Romania include : Feteasca Albă, Feteasca Regală, , Tâmiaoasa Românească, Feteasca Neagra.

TYPES

All types of wine exist in this winery and this is a characteristic of Viișoara Winery. Dry, semi-sweet and semi-sweet white wines, dry and semi-sweet red wines, rosé wines... It's a unique thing, because all these grape varieties are available and thus these whole range of wines can be produced.

TECHNOLOGY

On the premises there are white wine makers, red wine makers, holding tanks plus other double insulated wine makers (for tartaric stability), baroques and tasting room.

Each individual tank is connected by a valve to a central panel, where a specific temperature suitable for that type of wine can be ordered from each fermentation barrel.

Particular attention is paid to vine maintenance technology, in the sense that the unit permanently has specialists who check the evolution of the

vines in vegetation. Thus, if it is found that the vine is in danger of being affected by any disease, the specialists intervene manually, in the first phase.

For White Wines: The grapes brought in from the vineyard have a high temperature that varies depending on how sunny the day is. After being passed through the grubber, they then go through a large, industrial cooler, where their temperature drops to 10-12 degrees. It is a mandatory process, because if they were pressed directly, without cooling, during the 2-3 hour pressing cycle, unwanted fermentations and the loss of the specific aromas of each variety could occur. That is why cooling the grapes is extremely important and in the Viișoara Winery it is a mandatory process. Once cooled, the grapes reach the press, at a temperature of up to 10-12 degrees.

In the fermentation process temperature is a key factor. That is precisely why the white wine makers are equipped with 2 oversized cooling or heating jackets.

For Red Wine Vinificators

The pistons once used to periodically immerse the mass of red grapes were eliminated. Those pistons were aggressive and they would damage the grape skin, further damaging the quality of the resulting wine seeing as how the quality of wine virtually lies in the integrity of the skin. That is where the best tannin and the best substances of colour and flavour are found…

The harsh pistons are just a distant memory now. Today, wine technology is completely different as well. The grapes now come from the field at a high temperature and they are destemmed. They no longer go through the cooling process or the press, instead they are sucked in and inserted into the red wine vinificators which are provided with a heating jacket.

In the fermentation process of the red wine, the temperature needs to be high, but not excessively high and must always be kept under control in order to not compromise the wine. This is why these vinificators also have a cooling jacket, in order to maintain the optimum temperature for each type of wine.

Those pistons were replaced in order to avoid aggression towards the wine and the grape. Wine is very sensitive, you have to treat it like you would a woman, you have to be gentle and it will give you gentleness in return.

An inner axis which has a device called “Grandpa’s Hand” tied to it was attached to the red wine vinificator in order to avoid aggression. “Grandpa’s Hand” imitates what our grandparents used to do long ago, at home, when they would regularly go to the red grape vat to mix, more accurately to caress, the content. That way, through this gentle mixing, the integrity of the skin is maintained. If the skin keeps its integrity, a wine of the highest quality will be obtained because that is where the tannin and the substances of colour and flavour are.

Red wine – food

It is not to be forgotten that red wine is considered to be an aliment, ranking first among the cancer-fighting foods. Moderate consumption of red wine can prevent colon cancer, prostate affections, and a glass of red wine per day regulates high blood pressure. Meanwhile, a Merlot from Viişoara Winery was dubbed Women’s Discreet Paramour by specialists.

GEOGRAPHICAL ZONE

And there are two other very important aspects related to the good grapes from Viișoara. The lands and the microclimate... The vine plantations are exhibition lands, most of them on the slope and thus have a very good exposure to the sun. These grapes are practically caressed by the sun's rays and thus become grapes of the best quality.

SAFETY

The basins in the winery – safety and occupational safety rules

The basins in the winery also comply with safety and work security regulations, in the sense that they are not attached, fixed in concrete, but are placed freely on the platform. That’s why they have more support legs and their bottom is concave. Thus, in the event of an earthquake, the danger of accidents is avoided, because this type of pool is created for the effect of the Mitica Hoop, through which they always remain standing.

In this way, through this gentle mixing, the integrity of the skins is maintained. If they remain intact, the wine will be of the best quality, because that is where the tannin and the substances of color and flavor are.

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

Another secret of the Viişoara wine is the “Everything Full” principle. When a certain amount of wine is taken out of a tank, normally an empty space remains. Then the inert gas is added which reacts with the wine, thus avoiding oxidation. This is not done at Viisoara Winery.

They apply the "Everything Full principle": by putting the wine into bottles without that inert gas content. They always fill the different capacity tanks which makes the use of the inert gas unnecessary. The Everything Full principle is a healthy one, and thus viisoara wines do not cause indigestion.

STORAGE AND BOTTLING

Storage and Aging Cellar and the Bottling Line

The cellar of Viişoara has a capacity of 1 million bottles, and the atmosphere in this precinct is a controlled one. The wine is kept in box pallets that haven’t yet been labeled. The wine is preserved here and particularly the red one is aged for 3, 4 or even 5 years.

Viişoara Winery has a bottling line for bottles of different sizes, ranging from 187 milliliters to 1.5 liters bottles. The bottling line is fully automated and the sterile bottling guarantees a long-term storage of the wine.