Romanian Wines Research Articles

Sustainable Viticulture and Organic Farming in Romania: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Development

Abstract Sustainable agriculture is a concept based on different pillars that include the need to nurture healthy ecosystems and support the sustainable management of land, water and natural resources while ensuring profitability and social and economic equity. In order to achieve agricultural productivity in a sustainable way it is important to meet the environmental and climate challenges regarding food security, quality and sustainability. Nowadays, the global wine industry is facing profound changes that echo in the Romanian wine sector as well. In order to face these challenges, the Romanian wine sector must concentrate on its future to achieve sustainable development goals. In addition, the Romanian Organic agriculture has great potential of development that serves both the domestic and foreign markets. Starting from the new EU financial frameworks, Romania has the chance to develop the organic sector, based on the EU funding. Investing in organic farming is timely and strategic. The organic sector can prevent the loss of biodiversity; improve the ways of living of all actors in the food value chain, and help farmers move to more sustainable agro ecological practices. The ways of action for the sustainability of the sector should target the area of standards for competitive sustainability and the protection of human health in close connection with the one health concept. The article focuses on the Romanian wine and organic agricultural sectors and the need to achieve a sustainable development in order to face future challenges.

Quality Strategies Implemented in The Romanian Wine Market

In a highly competitive market such as wine, implementing quality strategies is necessary to succeed. Consumers are increasingly knowledgeable and demanding. The paper aims to identify the primary quality strategies used in the wine market in Romania and to determine the opinions, attitudes, and perceptions of consumers regarding it. For this purpose, an exploratory analysis combined with quantitative market research was carried out.

Cultivating Connections: Crafting a Unique Identity in the Competitive Wine Market

This article offers a detailed look at current marketing strategies and their crucial role in building brand and engaging consumers. It starts by discussing the shift towards more empathetic and innovative marketing, emphasising the importance of creating real connections and understanding consumer desires. The focus then moves to the use of Social Networks and Social Media Marketing, explaining the various strategies, benefits, and potential issues of using these digital platforms. The discussion continues with an exploration of Digital Content Marketing, highlighting the need for a balance between informative and engaging content and how different characteristics affect brand popularity. The last section provides a tailored marketing strategy for the Romanian wine industry, covering aspects such as identifying target markets, developing a strong brand identity, online promotion, and fostering collaborations. This article acts as a comprehensive guide, combining theory and practical advice, to understand modern marketing and specifically improve the international profile of Romanian wines.

Comparative Assessment of Phenolic Compounds from Authentic Wine Varieties from North-Western Romania from the 2021-2022 Harvest

Wine is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. Romania, as a country, has a history in vineyards and wine making. This present study analyzed the phenolic compounds of 5 varieties of wine from Romania (Fetească Regală Muscat Ottonel, Riesling Italian, Pinot Gris and Merlot). The results suggested that some of the wines present a wide category of phenolic compounds where others present low values and some of the compounds are absent as detected with a developed HPLC-DAD-ESI+ method. Phenolic compounds were identified after the retention time. Merlot wine presented, in most cases, the highest values for phenolic compounds, with a few exceptions. As a conclusion, romanian wines are rich in phenolic compounds that possess a series of beneficial properties.

The Marketing of Experiences in the Wine Industry in Romania

Today, many companies have turned their attention from the traditional "features and benefits" to the activity of creating experiences for their customers. In this way, the emotional activation of the customer is attempted, in addition to the rational part of buying the product. As part of this work, we have carried out quantitative marketing research, to find out the opinions of Romanian consumers related to the wine consumption experience. The general objectives of the research are the following: identify consumption habits among Romanian wine consumers; identify how Romanian consumers prefer to enjoy their favorite wine; determine the preferences of Romanian consumers regarding the color and type of preferred wine; determine the frequency of the purchase of wine by Romanian consumers and the place where they purchase their preferred types of wine. The research results can address wine-producing companies from Romania, wine distributors, hotels, and restaurants, for the future development of activities in this field.

Measurements Isotopic Ratios Signature and Level Concentration of Pb and Sr from Several Romanian Wines

Authenticity, certification, and especially the origin of food has become an increasing priority among consumers and producers, in the case of wines, this is very important especially if commercial values are associated with the region of production. In the last decades, isotopic ratios of geological interest, such as Pb, and Sr, have gained interest in the tracking regional provenance of foods and especially of wine. The correlation of the Pb and Sr isotope ratios between soil and plant makes it an interesting tool for tracing the provenance of agricultural products such as grapes and wine. The purpose of this research was to assessment the Pb and Sr isotopic ratio to highlight geographical markers with a high degree of credibility in several Romanian wine-growing areas. The values of the 206Pb/207Pb, for the vine from Dealu Bujorului and Valea Călugărească vineyard show traces of lead atmospheric pollution, in Nicorești, Panciu, and Ștefăneți-Argeș vineyard the values of the isotopic ratio show traces of fly ashes, coals, or natural Pb and Greaca vineyard show traces of petrol, gasoline, combustion. Due to Pb, and Sr a separation on the vineyards and wine-growing centers, and also a separation of the wine samples was possible.

Investigating Six Common Pesticides Residues and Dietary Risk Assessment of Romanian Wine Varieties.

The food and environmental safety debate extends to the use of pesticides in agriculture including the wine sector, which is one of the most intensive pesticide users across the agricultural sector. Pesticide utilisation is a common agricultural practice to protect fruits and plants from pathogens and insects while maintaining high production levels. Grapevine is generally a crop that is subject to intensive phytosanitary treatments, and therefore, it can be assumed that pesticide residues will accumulate in the vine-shoots and, later on, end up in the grapes and wines. The aim of this study was to determine the pesticide content in red, rosé, and white wines after phytosanitary treatments applied in the vineyard and their impact on long-term dietary risks. The following six pesticides were analysed: oxathiapiprolin, myclobutanil, iprovalicarb, tebuconazole, chlorantraniliprole, and acetamiprid. Samples were extracted using the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method and analysed for the residues of pesticides by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results indicated that the observed pesticides in the wine samples ranged between 0.05 and 0.75 ng/g. Dietary risks due to pesticide residues for women and men were evaluated using the estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) of wines. The HQs and HIs did not surpass the 1 value (HQ, HI < 1) for both women and men, denoting that the concentrations of pesticide residues in these wine samples do not pose any immediate risk to consumers. Moreover, a pesticide residue intake model (PRIMo) model analysis was conducted, and the results suggest that European adult consumers have a low pesticide residue intake due to moderate wine consumption. However, pesticide residue intakes have been associated with several human health problems and high toxicity levels, therefore reliable analytical methods to monitor their presence in horticultural crops is crucial for clean and safe food products and healthy consumers.

Assessment of Physicochemical, Macro- and Microelements, Heavy Metals, and Related Human Health Risk from Organically, Conventionally, and Homemade Romanian Wines

From the consumers’ perspective, organic and homemade products have become more attractive than conventional ones. However, scientific data regarding the characteristics, properties, and composition of these products are scarce. This study assessed the elemental composition of organic, conventional, and homemade Romanian wines. The physicochemical composition, SO2 (free and total) and total concentration of macroelements, microelements, and heavy metals from nine wine regions containing 165 samples of white (38 organic/70 conventional/57 homemade), 67 red (22/31/14) and 7 rosé (2/2/3) wines were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Dietary intake and target hazard quotient were also evaluated. The phytochemical and elemental compositions of the wine samples varied across regions and wine types. The highest levels of Ca, K, Fe and Al were detected in conventional wines, while homemade wines recorded high concentrations of Na, Mg, V, Ba and Rb. In the case of the rosé wine samples, the levels of trace elements and heavy metals were below the admissible limit. The estimated daily intake of a glass of wine provided less than 0.5% of the tolerable daily intake of the analyzed elements. No health concerns were identified. All wine samples can be safely consumed, regardless of the culture system used for production, and homemade wines are not of a lower quality than organic or conventional wines.

Romanian Wine Tourism—A Paved Road or a Footpath in Rural Tourism?

In the last decades, wine tourism (WT) has been a topic of study, especially for researchers from large producer countries. The relationship between wine tourism and rural tourism (RT) has been approached from many angles in the past. Ranking sixth in Europe in having its surface cultivated with vines, Romania is one of the major players in the Old World of wine producers. In Romania, the scientific literature on wine tourism is scarce and has a limited coverage on the subject. The present paper, by its main purpose, raises the curtain of Romanian wine tourism drawing a consumer profile and analyzes the relationship between WT and RT. Through quantitative research with 850 valid wine tourist respondents and a margin of error of 3.36%, we discovered that people who know what wine tourism means are 1.85 times more confident that it will contribute to the development of rural tourism compared to those who know less about the subject. A high number of visits leads to a decrease in the confidence that rural tourism can be developed through wine tourism due to the poor diversification of leisure activities offered by wine cellars and a weak connection between economic activity and local space. In the end, we draw some practical implications for wine cellars. By developing local-based leisure activities, vineyards can contribute to the sustainable development of the local community. Due to the COVID-19 impact on tourism, there are some limitations to our study. Future studies are needed to cover the changes and evolution of this type of tourism.

STUDIES ON THE QUALITY AND AUTHENTICITY OF WHITE WINES FROM OLTENIA

For white wines, in addition to the level of the main chemical constituents defined for each category and type, the properties of fruitiness, aroma and expressiveness, typical of varieties and areas of origin, are fundamental quality criteria. In addition, these products must be offered to consumers in a perfect state of clarity and with lasting stability over time. The capitalization of the viticultural potential that Romania has, in order to obtain sustainable competitive advantages on foreign markets, requires the creation and promotion of an identity of Romanian wine, based on analytical investigations to certify the quality and natural chemical composition of wines. Determining the quality and authentication of wines involves several aspects, such as geographical origin, year of production, variety, producer and quality. It is important that the proof of the authenticity of the wine is based on those chemical parameters that do not change during vinification process or that are difficult to falsify

STUDIES ON THE MAIN CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS AND QUALITY INDICES OF RED WINES FROM THE MAIN VINEYARDS IN OLTENIA

Recently, worldwide, there has been a decrease in wine consumption, as the consumer has become much more attentive to the quality of this food, refusing products that do not meet certain standards. At the same time, the new world wine regions specialize in quality production, coming on the market with a varied offer and at a convenient price. The fame of the particularly pleasant characteristics of Romanian wines is given not only by the extremely high value of several local varieties, which have given fame to some wine centers: Fetească alba by Alba Iulia, Grasa by Cotnari, Tămâioasă by Drăgăşani, or by Pietroasele, Busuioacă by Bohotin, Fetească neagră de Nicoreşti, Negru de Dragasani, etc., but also the fact that the most famous foreign varieties, which made famous certain regions and countries (Traminer, Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot), cultivated in Romania wines that have often equaled or surpassed, by their "generosity" and finesse, those of the countries of origin. For wine and especially red wine, it is important to establish its typicality and authenticity due to its impact on the large mass of knowledgeable consumers who value quality and safety.

Assessment of Melatonin and Its Precursors Content by a HPLC-MS/MS Method from Different Romanian Wines.

Because melatonin has strong antioxidant activity and wine is an alcoholic beverage of economic relevance, in the present work, the impact of some variable parameters that may occur in the winemaking process on the concentrations of melatonin and its precursors in Romanian wines was studied. Therefore, a sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of melatonin, serotonin, and l-tryptophan, and some method performance parameters including selectivity, detection limit, precision (by comparing with an alternative HPLC-FL method), accuracy, and robustness were validated. These determinations are significant and the final amounts of analytes are dependent on the microorganisms involved in the winemaking process, the grape variety, geographic regions of vineyards, and aging of wines. In the future, the method may be useful to increase the melatonin content and the antioxidant activity in wines by improved steps in the winemaking process, especially based on application of selected yeasts and improved fermentation conditions.

Overcoming geographical barriers to international presence. The case of the emerging Romanian Tuscany wine cluster

ABSTRACT This research contributes to the debate on the determining factors that support access to global value chains by companies belonging to emerging clusters in transition economies. The role of these economies is becoming increasingly relevant in a global world, where discovering new opportunities is focused on increasing market knowledge in order to offer the appropriate products. From a geographical approach, managing both the knowledge flows circulating within the cluster and those coming from external sources can have a positive effect on the companies’ international presence. To analyse these research questions, the wine industry cluster in the Muntenia-Oltenia region of Romania was studied. This wine-growing territory is also known as Romanian Tuscany due to its geographical location. In this area, the wineries have different characteristics depending whether or not they have international projection. The results suggest that local knowledge of the cluster, managed through the network of connections, is necessary for the international presence of the cluster. Moreover, there is a multiplier effect in those wineries where there is foreign ownership, due to their international entrepreneurial character. In summary, this paper contributes to a better understanding of how companies in an emerging cluster work in order to access global value chains.

Impediments in cluster development: the case of Târnave valley

Abstract Many years after the fall of communism, the Romanian wine industry has been still struggling to overcome lot of challenges such as erratic weather, unfair competition, lack of investments or the need for a clear vision of the future path of growth. The industry has reached eventually a level of maturity although there is still much to be done in terms of, among others, network-oriented management skills and the acknowledgement of the importance of the role of location for upgrading competitive advantages. Cluster development initiatives have become lately an important direction of economic policy, building on earlier macroeconomic stabilization efforts, opening up markets and reducing business costs. Companies that operate within a cluster, as opposed to those that are not integrated in such agglomerations, benefit from externalities thanks to their location, have better access to specialized suppliers, technological improvements and skilled labor, as well as direct connections to specialized knowledge flows. Is cluster formation and development a driver for the revival of the Romanian wine industry? What are the impediments that delay further progress? To answer these questions, a qualitative research was conducted with support of statistical data collected mainly from the Global Competitiveness Report, the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Institute of Statistics, and the International Organization of Vine and Wine. The paper focuses on the case of the vine and wine region of the Târnave Valley to understand the impediments for cluster development.

Firm Performance and Exports: Evidence from the Romanian Wine Industry

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of exports and its main determinants on the financial performance of the Romanian wine industry. We draw on a dataset consisting of mixed firm-level (i.e., 207 companies) data, Google Trends data, and regional variables covering the period from 2009 to 2017. We show that Romanian wine exports, at the firm level, are positively affected by regional wine yields (especially in the case of red wine varieties), temperature, and firm agglomeration, and negatively impacted by firm size. We also find a close positive correlation between financial performance and exports. (JEL Classifications: F61, L66, C23)

New Marketing Tendencies in the Romanian Wine Industry

Abstract In the last decade or so, the Romanian wine industry has changed and developed greatly, by the increase of wine producers, especially the niche producers, alongside the traditional, big, producers. The paper aims to understand the new tendencies in the field of marketing, that occur on the wine industry of Romania, as well as the changes that take place in the minds and lives of the consumers in the context of the online world, combined with new trends and technologies that can be used by the consumers. Secondly, the paper represents a secondary data analysis of the International and Romanian Wine Industry, in terms of production and consumption, we also presented a short profile of the Romanian wine consumer, as a result of a survey developed by wine industry organisation. The paper shows some new trends of the wine industry, underlined by the specialists, as well as technologies and methods of marketing interaction with the consumers used by the Romanian producers of this product.

Characterization and Classification of Romanian Wines by Origin A chemometric approach based on some metals and phenolic composition

There is a growing trend in food industry in combining safety and quality attributes of products with their distinct regional identity. In this study we used data on several elements (Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb and Ni) and phenolic compounds (gallic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, trans-resveratrol, rutin, quercetin and vanillin) as complementary markers in the attempt to characterise and differentiate wines from three wine-growing areas (Murfatlar, Recas and Jidvei) of Romania, according to their geographical and varietal origin. Wines from south-eastern region (Murfatlar) were characterized by their lower content in Cu, Cr and Ni, compared with wines from western (Recas) and central (Jidvei) region, while the content of phenolic compounds in the wine samples showed a visible variation, depending both of the grape variety and geographical origin. The statistical processing tools applied to our results allowed robust di�erentiation between regions, wine varieties, and vintage year. The phenolic compounds (gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, rutin, quercetin and resveratrol) showed the best correlations for the varietal discrimination of wines. Using discriminant analysis, a correct classification of the wines by variety was achieved in proportion of 88.89% (based only by phenolic compounds) and 92.59 % (based both on phenolic compounds and metals), revealing that the content of Cu, Cr and Ni is significant for discrimination. Moreover, a 100% successful classification of wines by region of origin was accomplished.

Characterization and Classification of Romanian Wines by Origin A chemometric approach based on some metals and phenolic composition

There is a growing trend in food industry in combining safety and quality attributes of products with their distinct regional identity. In this study we used data on several elements (Cd, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb and Ni) and phenolic compounds (gallic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, trans-resveratrol, rutin, quercetin and vanillin) as complementary markers in the attempt to characterise and differentiate wines from three wine-growing areas (Murfatlar, Recas and Jidvei) of Romania, according to their geographical and varietal origin. Wines from south-eastern region (Murfatlar) were characterized by their lower content in Cu, Cr and Ni, compared with wines from western (Recas) and central (Jidvei) region, while the content of phenolic compounds in the wine samples showed a visible variation, depending both of the grape variety and geographical origin. The statistical processing tools applied to our results allowed robust diûerentiation between regions, wine varieties, and vintage year. The phenolic compounds (gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, rutin, quercetin and resveratrol) showed the best correlations for the varietal discrimination of wines. Using discriminant analysis, a correct classification of the wines by variety was achieved in proportion of 88.89% (based only by phenolic compounds) and 92.59 % (based both on phenolic compounds and metals), revealing that the content of Cu, Cr and Ni is significant for discrimination. Moreover, a 100% successful classification of wines by region of origin was accomplished.

Assessment of Trace Elements and Human Health Risk Present in Wines Obtained in the Region of Dealurile Munteniei and Dealurile Moldovei Vineyards

The primary objectives of this research were to determine the concentration of some inorganic trace components, to evaluate the concentration levels of these in Romanian wines by daily consumption of wine and the health risk of inorganic trace components intake at these rates form Romanian wine. The results indicated that the concentration levels of inorganic components in red wine decreased in the order Zn&gt;Mn&gt;Cr&gt;Cu&gt;Ni&gt;Pb&gt;Co&gt;Cd, in case of white wine decreased in the order Zn&gt;Mn&gt;Cu&gt;Cr&gt;Ni&gt;Pb&gt;Co&gt;Cd. Based on a 60-kilogram adult person, and moderate consumption of 200 milliliters of wine/day, the estimated daily intake of these inorganic components from wines was well below the daily allowance. The target hazard quotient suggests that the exposed humans would not experience significant health risks when ingesting these individual elements from daily consumption of 200 milliliters of Romanian wines/day.

Vineyards and Wineries in Alba County, Romania towards Sustainable Business Development

Starting from a definition of wine tourism, put in the context of sustainable development, a multifaceted research study was elaborated, aimed at establishing if, and how, wine businesses in Alba County, Romania, can develop on a sustainable path. A mix of desk research, qualitative, and quantitative methods and tools were blended together in this research. An investigation of the wineries’ financial situations and online presence was further completed by the interviews with entrepreneurs, local public administration representatives, and residents in order to establish that business development on the wine-route is highly desired and would eventually enjoy the appreciation of both locals and tourists. Instead of conclusions, a framework for the sustainable development of Alba’s wineries is sketched, focusing on those elements that motivate international and also Romanian wine tourists to visit this destination, and emphasizing the need for the establishment of a destination management organization (DMO) capable of managing the interests of all stakeholders under the conditions of sustainable development. Measures to be adopted by winemakers are also provided and a list of ancillary services to be considered is also suggested.