Finally… Rasova

You know the saying: third time’s the charm?
In this case, it really was true, because it took us nearly three years to finally reach the much-coveted Rasova.
In my previous articles (Dealu Mare and Avincis), I told you about our attempts to visit wineries in the Dobrogea region, but it seems 2025 was the year it was meant to be.

Rasova is different.
Rasova breaks the pettern.
Rasova tells its own story (just as they like to say).

ORIGINS

Rasova is a purely Romanian winery, a new (2015) and ultra-modern one, the passion project of a family from Constanța: Zoe and George Chiuri.
The idea of building a winery in the heart of Dobrogea stems from the family’s core business – alcohol beverage distribution.
They chose the Cernavodă area, within the renowned Murfatlar region, specifically Dealul Vifor hill, starting with 50 hectares of mature vines and later expanding by another 11 hectares of new plantings.
The winery’s exact location: right next to the historic Anghel Saligny bridge over the Danube… the one almost every Romanian remembers when heading to the seaside .
Production gained momentum only after the first four years, averaging 325,000 L/year, thanks to heavy investments, both private and EU-funded, guided by an Italian consulting team under the renowned winemaker Răzvan Macici.

I must tell you about the design and aesthetics of the winery, which once again highlight Rasova’s unique personality.
The taxi from Cernavodă drops us at the estate entrance, where we instantly see the vines to the left and a corridor-like alley of white marble descending toward the Danube. Thanks to the architects at Igloo Design, the building blends seamlessly with the Dobrogean landscape, appearing as a series of white cliffs rising from the earth.
A few minutes into the tour, we learn this was precisely architect Bruno Andreșoiu’s intention, to capture the dynamic of a cliff face. The spacious, light-filled interiors, decorated in minimalist style, are equally dreamy .

SOIL & GRAPES

Though we first discovered Rasova through a white blend from the Tortuga range, Rasova truly shines with its iconic rosés, which we explored later. Once again, terroir makes all the difference: record-breaking sunshine (the region boasts the most sunny hours in Romania, hence the winery’s logo ), the Danube’s reflection, cool breezes, and sandy-calcareous soil. The result? A highly diverse range, from fresh, crisp, saline wines to expressive, elegant ones.

Officially, there are 5 white and 5 red varieties: Fetească Neagră, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Tămâioasă Românească, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Chardonnay. The surprise? Two rare native grapes we’d never heard of: Mamaia and Columna.
*I say “officially” because we spotted undeclared varieties in their blends, like Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală, Semillon, and Traminer, though I can’t pinpoint their exact origin.

Ranges: Craft, La Plage, Riviera, Sur Mer, Nud, Tortuga, Imperfect, Aripi, Dulce Nebunie

TASTING, DINING & STAY

Rasova aims to offer not just wine, but an experience… though, sadly, without accommodation (we spotted loft-style cabins on the estate, but they’re for the viticulture and sommelier teams).

The closest option is Cernavodă, just 10 minutes by taxi from the vineyard. We stayed, and highly recommend: Hotel Imperio. It looks and feels like 5 stars, and we kept wondering how it survives in a small, semi-derelict town of ~15,000 people, until we saw the many foreign guests, likely on business at the famous nuclear plant .
The more varied the menu, the lower the quality, or so they say. Not here. The hotel restaurant offers everything from Asian to traditional Romanian, and everything we tried at dinner was perfectly cooked at fair prices.
The hotel boasts spa, gym, and crucially, a partnership with Rasova, hosting frequent tastings and events. Naturally, we missed every single one – at both the winery and the hotel.

But the memorable moments from our tasting and tour remain. Despite the website showing all tasting packages as “sold out,” we called and got the green light.
Taxi ordered, and off we went.
Despite the scorching heat, we chose the terrace for the view , not the best idea after 30 minutes, but the wines made up for it.

We started with something unusual for Romania: Craft, an organic, unfiltered sparkling blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay 2022, cloudy like a Cava but more mineral and robust. Then came Nud white 2023, a fresh, aromatic blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Muscat, and Traminer with grapefruit and pear notes. Ready to cross into barrel-aged territory, we tried Aripi, a balanced, creamy Chardonnay-Semillon 2022 with citrus, green fruit, and a subtle finish of raw almond, vanilla, and anise.

Shifting tones, we moved to one of their famous rosés: Nud Rosé 2023, a blend of Fetească Neagră, Pinot Noir, and native Mamaia. A rosé that felt slightly masculine—robust, with raspberry and rose petal notes.

The knockout finale: Sur Mer with its Pinot Noir 2021, a bit full-bodied for midday at 35°C (pro tip: save it for evening), but stunning with sour cherry, pomegranate, licorice, and dried mint.