Banat Hills, one of Romania’s six wine regions, is situated to the west of the country and borders both Serbia and Hungary. While the region’s wines are not as well-known internationally as those from Romania’s other regions, it is still a prolific area for winemaking. In fact, Banat Hills is home to Romania’s largest winery: Recas. Like most of the country’s wine regions, Banat Hills has a long history of viticulture; archeologists have even discovered vineyard plots dating back to Roman times. Today, however, white wines are more common here than red ones—the region produces over 37 million liters of wine each year.
Winemaking history in the Banat
The winemaking history in this region extends back over 3,000 years. The Romans planted the first vines here when they conquered the area as part of their empire in the second century BC.
You can find vineyards everywhere you look in the Banat Hills. They are the result of a great wine tradition that began over 2,100 years ago in A.D. 107, when Roman emperor Trajan conquered Dacia (modern-day Romania). The Romans brought viticulture to this region and planted the first vines here. The Romans also introduced winemaking to all of Europe, and they themselves were great drinkers—in fact, it was common for them to drink more than 1 gallon of wine each day! The Romans were also great conquerors, builders and traders who founded cities like Alba Iulia (which was their capital), Orșova, Drobeta Turnu Severin and Timișoara—all located near the Danube river in southwestern Romania.
Climate
Though the Banat Hills are located in a warm region, the cold winters offer an excellent climate for viticulture. In fact, the climate is similar to that of regions in France like Burgundy and Bordeaux. The area around Banat also has fertile soil with high levels of clay, making it ideal for growing grapes. Furthermore, there are two rivers nearby: the Danube and Mures. Due to its position between these two rivers and proximity to the Tisa River, the area enjoys plenty of moisture throughout the year.
Grape varieties
Varieties grown in the Banat Hills include Aligote, Cadarca, Carignan, Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Neagra, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.
- Aligoté: A white grape used to make sparkling wines in Romania.
- Cadarca: A white grape used to make sparkling wines in Romania.
- Carignan (or Carignano): A red grape that makes light-bodied wines with great color.
Appellations in the area
To learn more about Romanian wine, you should also take a look at this list of the best wines from each of Romania’s seven zones. With names like Recas and Timisoara, it sounds like this country is full of mind-blowing fine wines—but even among the seven appellations that make up Romania’s Banat region, there are a lot of good ones.
The Recas zone is where the most famous grape varieties grow in Romania: Gras and Blaton. Here we have mostly reds with fruit-forward flavors, including some delicious semi-sweet vintages. You can also find some light whites made with Malvasia Nera grapes or Muscat Gris. The high quality standards don’t stop at the vineyard; they continue along the road to winery: locally produced products are constantly inspected by state agencies and must meet certain quality standards before they can be sold in supermarkets.
Famous wines
Famous wines from the area include Aiudul de Segarcea, Feteasca Neagra Cuvee XXI and Recas Ltd Reserve Rose.
If you ever find yourself in the Banat region, be sure to stop at Segarcea. There’s a lot of good wine from this area (Aiudul de Segarcea, Feteasca Neagra Cuvee XXI) and it’s not too far away from Timisoara.
A beautiful place that makes delicious wines
The Banat wine region of Romania is a beautiful place that makes delicious wines. The hills are full of grape vines and the cool climate and diverse soil types are perfect for growing many different varietals. This area is considered by many to be the birthplace of Romanian winemaking since it’s where grape cultivation here originated.
There are more than 25,000 acres in the Banat area dedicated to producing grapes, and they grow every type of grape you can think of: Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay (called “Grivei”), Riesling Italian (Riesling Italico), Riesling de Rhine (Shandril), Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot).