The Povesti cu Vinuri Românești competition, organized annually by BASF Romania, for 7 years tells the story it proposed from the beginning: the story of a diverse landscape, full of color and taste, created by winegrowers, small winemakers and medium-sized enterprises from Romania.

BASF Agricultural Solutions Romania, one of the largest suppliers to the local crop protection market and part of the German BASF group, has identified an untapped potential in a country with a growing viticulture sector. On the market with an annual production of approx. 5 million hectoliters of wine, the prospect of delimiting the segment of small and medium producers of wines produced 100% at the local level is outlined. Thus, in 2016, BASF implemented the idea of ​​a competition dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses in this segment. This was based on the company’s desire to help this category of producers evaluate their wines, in conditions where their participation in national or international competitions is quite difficult. Another aspect was the desire to give these wineries the opportunity to promote their products in a competitive market dominated by established players.

Complementing the landscape of Romanian viticulture, alongside the big and established names, the small and medium-sized wineries of less than 100 hectares for which the competition is intended offer the necessary diversification in the market thanks to wines with a special personality and presence. Every year there is a maturation of this level, which is also supported by the continuous education of consumers, who are increasingly oriented towards higher quality wines.

competition Stories with Romanian wines, organized in collaboration with the Association of Authorized Tasters from Romania (ADAR), which, among other things, aims to be a guide in this journey of the end consumer, facilitating the discovery of new special wines. Held at the regional level and then in the national final, the competition takes place in the most important wine-producing regions: Moldova, Dobrudja, Muntenia, Oltenia, Banat and Transylvania. Thus, white, rosé and red wines from small and medium-sized producers from all these regions make it to the jury’s table. A jury of authorized ADAR tasters selects one winner from each wine category based on sensory evaluations that include aesthetic, olfactory and taste criteria. The judging mechanism is based on the norms of the international evaluation system established by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIVV).

The format includes four regional stages, after which the winning wines advance to the finals of the competition. The competition has grown organically from one edition to the next, reaching this year (February – May 2022) almost 140 participating wineries and more than 340 registered wines.

The prizes on offer are designed to meet the needs of small wineries, including packages of products for the protection of grape crops or processing equipment, with a total value of €15,000 per year.

Starting with the idea that the purchase decision is mostly made at the shelf, which is largely influenced by the appearance of the wine bottle, over the past 3 years BASF has integrated itself into the competition Stories with Romanian wines and a wine label competition. It takes place on the BASF Agricultural Solutions Facebook page and directly engages end consumers who rate the wine labels participating in the competition.

In addition, this year, a new judging component was added to the competition – advertising experts. They evaluate the label in terms of execution, relevance, creativity, innovation and brand identity. This year, the prize offered in a competition judged by professionals from some of the most relevant advertising agencies in Romania was a license for the Agrivi farm management application.

“Because of the competition Stories with Romanian wines, we aim, first of all, to support wine producers with small and medium-sized vineyard holdings to become known in the local market. The seven releases to date have confirmed the potential of this segment each year and have been a good barometer of local wine production. Our plans are to continue the story of Romanian wines by offering producers the opportunity to evaluate their wines for free, helping them to promote them with specific marketing activities and offering them the most modern crop protection products, constantly adapted to their needs.” BASF Agricultural Solutions Romania Regional Manager Mario Tomsic summarizes the concept of the competition.

But apart from the winnings and attractive prizes, the competition aims to bring together the actors who form the backbone of the industry in one place, give them an opportunity to network, exchange ideas and develop a healthy spirit of competition. The main role of the competition is to launch a solid platform for cooperation, so that small and medium-sized producers can benefit from visibility inside and outside the industry and for their name to reach consumers who want a variety of quality Romanian wines.

Article supported by BASF