AVINCIS WINERY
DRĂGĂȘANI – JUNE 2024
PUBLISH ON
March 19, 2025
BY
On my birthday, I had my heart set on heading to another wine region (still in Romania), but the stars just didn’t align…
So, where to go? This time, the list of criteria was a bit longer:
- a winery/vineyard with on-site accommodation
- relatively close (we needed to get back to Sibiu in under 3 hours the next day)
- a winery I actually knew something about
- one that would host a wine tasting for just 2 people (most require a minimum of 5)
- and availability on that exact day
Say hello to Drăgășani! 
My first experience with Avincis wines was a tasting where we tried their famous Negru de Drăgășani, presented by the winery’s oenologist, Andrea Previtali.
… and wow, what an experience!
A true gem of a wine, velvety and aromatic, yet with incredible character and, of course, heavily awarded both at home and abroad. Specifically, 17 medals, the vast majority for the 2019 reserve.
As a grape: It’s called Negru de Drăgășani for a very simple reason, it originated right here in Drăgășani. This purely indigenous variety was officially registered in 1993 from a Romanian-Georgian cross between Negru Vârtos and Saperavi. It’s a deeply pigmented wine (dark violet), full-bodied, with an intensely fragrant bouquet of blueberries, plums, chocolate, and a hint of pepper. Negru de Drăgășani
There are plenty of wineries in the Drăgășani area, but Avincis brings something truly special to the table. It’s not just the flagship wines, it’s also a relatively young winery, strategically perched on a hillside called Dobrușa (which inspired the name of the villa on the estate), on the right bank of the Olt River... in short: terraced slopes, clay-rich soils, prime sun exposure, and the Olt’s gentle influence. Pure paradise vibes .Back to our experience, though… Avincis is about a 1 hour 33 minute walk from Drăgășani town center, or just 13 minutes by car. Unfortunately, we struck out on finding a taxi, Uber, or Bolt in Drăgășani to shuttle us up there (ride-hailing apps like those are spotty outside major cities like Bucharest, and local taxis can be hit-or-miss without advance booking). That meant we needed on-site lodging at the winery or something super close by to make it work.
There aren’t many accommodation options in the area, so we booked our stay directly with Avincis via their website. We called, made the reservation, paid in advance (apparently, that’s their standard procedure), and arrived by 3 PM.
We were greeted by a friendly gentleman wearing many hats at that moment, he helped us with the check-in, gave us a tour of the vineyard and winery, and handled our tasting (the oenologist, unfortunately, was not present). It’s worth mentioning we were the only guests at the winery at the time.
You can check Avincis’ accommodation and tasting offers online, but we chose a double room (Cabernet Sauvignon, if I recall) for one night, a tasting package for two, dinner, and breakfast. The total (in July 2024) was 1480 RON.
The property has a special charm, blending history, notice the family manor in Neo-Brâncovenesc style (sadly, we couldn’t visit inside), with the future, represented by the futuristic winery designed by architect Alexandru Beldiman.
Unfortunately, 2024 was not a great year for wine production in Romania due to challenging climate conditions. When we arrived at the vineyard, 70% of the vines had been damaged by a hailstorm. Only those vines on a certain slope, which was more protected, remained untouched.
At the same time, there were significant temperature fluctuations that led to uneven ripening of the grapes, resulting in a lower quality harvest (we’ll see the same at Tohani during our visit in September 2024).
However, I was truly delighted to see with my own eyes the famous “Negru de Drăgășani” wine, visit the winery, and especially to discover an even more special variety during the tastings: “Alutus” – Cuvée Valerius (which is when I learned that the vineyard belongs to Mr. Valeriu Stoica 
).
I left with a “souvenir” (a birthday gift): a collector’s bottle of Alutus Cuvée Valerius (No. 1647), and Cosmin made a new “friend” whom we named “Tăciune” ( black like coal).
