Investing in the future of Romanian wine

JIDVEI I PROFILE

With over 600 international awards under its belt, Jidvei is one of the most renowned wine producers in the world. From still and sparkling white wines, to wine brandies and grape musts, this historical Romanian business has secured its name as a leader in the market. CEO Claudiu Necs ¸ulescu spoke to Laura Watling about Jidvei’s specialities, and what’s next for the Romanian wine business.

INVESTING

IN THE FUTURE OF ROMANIAN wine

Bethlen-Haller Castel

Based in the heart of Transylvania, Romania, Jidvei’s vineyards spread over 2,500 hectares alongside the Târnave River. With its name renowned in the industry, it is fitting that Jidvei is based in one of Romania’s oldest wine regions. It boasts the largest, single-owned vineyard in Europe.

Established in 1949 (and privately owned since 1999), Jidvei currently owns four winemaking facilities – Jidvei, Ta ˇuni, Blaj and Ba ˇlcaciu. Despite its modern take on wine, branding and market vision, the winelands of Jidvei rejoice at a rich viticulture history that dates back thousands of years. Herodotus mentioned in his writings – around 484-425 BC – that the GetoDacians practiced viticulture in the valleys of the Târnave Valley from ancient times.

“Being entwined with the BethlenHaller Castle gives us an opportunity to venture into wine tourism,” explained CEO Claudiu Necs ¸ ulescu. “This is certainly something we have invested into in the last years.”

Blending traditional and modern methods

Across the company’s four facilities, it has an impressive storage capacity of over 35 million litres, employing around 400 staff, with the largest team based at the Jidvei facility. The Jidvei facility is also the location where most of the brand’s wines go through the final stages before bottling.

“We have the largest storage facility of 21.5 million litres at Jidvei, and have two bottling lines with the capacity for 10,000 bottles per hour,” shared Mr Necs ¸ ulescu.

Jidvei’s newest facility, Ta ˇuni, established in 2014, is the largest wine making facility in Romania.

“What’s unique about Ta ˇuni is that the entire wine making process there is based

JIDVEI I PROFILE

on gravity,” explained Mr Necs ¸ ulescu. The Ta ˇuni facility uses gravitational energy in the making process, ensuring minimal intervention. “This type of production is one of the ways we can work towards being a sustainable business,” the CEO shared.

“Despite moving into modern methods, we understand the importance of tradition too,” he added. “Many Romanians have grown up with our wine, and we still use traditional methods to ensure a consistent, quality product.”

This includes the operations at Ba ˇlcaciu, where wine distillates are aged for at least three years in oak barrels as well as traditionally made sparkling wine.

A wine for every week

Jidvei is known for having one of the most diverse product portfolios in the Romanian wine market. Ranging from still and sparkling white wines, to wine brandy and grape musts, Jidvei currently has over 60 labels under its belt.

“Our most popular ranges are those from our Traditional and Grigorescu ranges. Most of our consumers either grew up with these wines or know them from their parents or grandparents,” explained CEO Mr Necs ¸ ulescu. “As well as this, they have a very good pricesquality ratio.” Grigorescu wines are currently the market leader in their respective price segment.

In 2012, Jidvei launched two exclusive, and now award winning ranges – Mysterium and Owner’s Choice Ana/Maria.

International acclaim

Impressively, in the last 15 years Jidvei has collected over 640 awards at prestigious international wine competitions, including 207 golds.

In 2019, Jidvei became the first Romanian wine producer to be awarded two Grand Gold medals at Concours Mondial De Bruxelles, for Owner’s Choice Ana Sauvignon Blanc 2018 and Feteasca ˇ Regala ˇ 2009.

“We own one of the largest Sauvignon Blanc plantations situated in one area in Europe,” Mr Necs ¸ulescu said, “and with the numerous awards we’ve won in this area, we are proud to say Jidvei is becoming a reference Sauvignon Blanc producer around the world.”

Most recently, Jidvei has received international acclaim for its Eiswein Jidvei 2018, a dessert wine obtained from grapes harvested in the winter. As well as receiving three Great Gold, eight Gold and four Silver

JIDVEI I PROFILE

medals, it received the trophy for Best Wine In The Competition at the Frankfurt International Wine Trophy.

Investing from stem to bottle

Jidvei is the only integrated wine producer in Romania, owning the product from stem to bottle. An injection of €100 million over the last 20 years enabled the producer to invest in state-of-the-art technology, improved winemaking practices and new plantations.

In the last three years, a further €6 million has been invested in the business, including a new isobaric bottling line.

“The new line enables us to bottle 7,000 bottles an hour, as well as allowing us to produce new frizzante products,” shared Mr Necs ¸ ulescu. The investment also saw a project that resulted in an increase in the facility’s controlled temperature fermentation capacity by over 2.5 million litres.

“We also understand the importance of investing in sustainability and efficiency,” said Jidvei’s CEO. “Recently we’ve worked on modernising the Ba ˇlcaciu Winery, installing a new distillation column and an automated bottling line.”

Waste not, want not

Of Jidvei’s many titles, the company is also known for being a leader in sustainable methods. One standout achievement in this area is being one of the first producers to use recyclable corks.

“Our main leadership objective is to focus on environmentally friendly strategies,” explained Mr Necs ¸ ulescu. “This includes raising awareness of sustainable agriculture, supporting diversity, limiting chemical intervention and implementing the use of bi-products and sustainable water management.”

One such strategy has been implemented at the Ba ˇlcaciu Winery, which capitalises on the biomass waste created by pressing grapes through the gasification plant.

Drinking it up

Another area which Jidvei plans to capitalise on is that of wine tourism. Situated close to the Bethlen-Haller Castle, which has recently undergone significant renovation, Jidvei is perfectly located to tap into the realms of wine tourism.

“The tourism component of our business allows wine aficionados to meet with specialists in the industry, learn more about our brand and processes, whilst tasting local and international varieties,” the CEO shared.

Trips to Jidvei also incorporate traditional Romanian food produced using ingredients from Jidvei’s farms, and local leisure activities, such as taking in the scenery on horseback.

As well as investing in wine tourism, Jidvei is currently focusing its efforts on its younger audience. This includes improving brand perception and launching innovative products to attract a younger audience.

“In an industry which is continuing to grow and evolve, it is important that we continue to choose a fresh and contemporary approach. This includes completing our rebrand, continuing to diversify our portfolio, and considering where we can form partnerships,” Mr Necs ¸ ulescu concluded.n