BASF Agricultural Solutions Romania, one of the largest suppliers to the local market of plant protection products, continues the tradition and launches the 8th edition of the Romanian Wine Stories competition, aimed at small and medium-sized wine producers in Romania.

The first competition was held in 2016, and since then, every year more and more small and medium-sized winegrowers have joined the “Romanian Wine Stories” competition. Thus, every year the number of wineries participating in the competition, as well as the number of wines, increases. If 240 wines participated in Povești cu Vinuri Românești in 2016, this year the organizers expect more than 350 wines from 100 different wineries.

“According to the OIVV, Romania is one of the largest producers of wine in the world, with an annual production of 4.62 million hectoliters in 2022, according to the latest data. From the total volume of approx. 60% are produced by large winegrowers whose areas exceed 100 hectares. However, small and medium-sized winegrowers are gaining more and more positions and are producing wines of higher quality every year. It is for this reason that the Povești cu Vinuri Românești competition was designed from the beginning to support this category of wineries in their quest to create quality wines with the latest crop protection technologies,” said Mario Tomšić, BASF Agricultural Regional Manager. Solution Romania.

The representative of the company noted that, as official data also show, small and medium-sized manufacturers face stiff competition from the main market players. They use large areas and have access to a large-scale distribution network, both in retail and HoReCa. That is why medium and small producers need support to make themselves visible in the niche market.

“Povești cu Vinuri Românești offers participants the opportunity to undergo a free analysis of their produced wines by a commission composed of ADAR members, which uses the norms of the international evaluation system established by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIVV). ). In addition, the prizes for a total amount of 20,000 euros offered to the winners are a support for them,” said Mario Tomšić.

Before the edition launched this year, Povești cu Vinuri Românești awarded three categories – white, red and rosé wines. From 2023, BASF is also launching a sparkling wine section, which will only take place on the national stage. In the case of this category, sparkling wines from all over the country will be considered, without limiting the area of ​​grape cultivation. Producers will be able to register all types of sparkling wines – white and rosé, brut, semi-brut or extrabrut. For this category, the prize offered by the organizer will be, as in the case of wines, 5,000 euros.

For white, red and rosé wines, the competition will be held in 4 regional stages, after which the final stage will take place, in which 36 finalists will participate (3 winners for each type of wine from each region). Thus, there will be separate judging for the regions of Moldova, Muntenia, Transylvania and Banat, Oltenia and Dobruja.

Student creativity competition

Due to the fact that the finalist wines are advertised in a special catalog each year, BASF is launching a design competition for the cover of this brochure this year. It is mainly intended for students of the faculties of design and art who have reached the age of 18. The jury will consist of experts in the field, such as professors from the faculties of art or design and illustrators. The main winner will be announced during the last stage of this year’s competition, the amount of which is 2,000 euros. In addition to the competition dedicated to local wines, BASF also continues the tradition of the competition dedicated to labels on wine bottles. This competition takes place on the company’s Facebook page, and users of the platform have the opportunity to vote for the most beautiful label from each region, as well as from the grand finale.

The local wine market is characterized by constant improvement in quality

As for the development of the local wine market, company representatives expect a constant improvement in the quality of local wines, especially aromatic and semi-aromatic wines, this year. “This year we expect a series of wines with a higher alcohol content than in the first editions of the competition, due to the high accumulation of sugar in the climatic context of recent years, as well as the presence of organic wines in the competition. . Even though this trend is still in its infancy and the number of producers in this segment at the local level is still small, the interest in this niche is obvious,” said Robert Baicoianu, director of horticulture at BASF Agricultural Solutions Romania. Another aspect he emphasized is the growing need for local wines to be known for export. According to the OIVV, even if the annual local production at the level of 2022 was 4.62 million hectoliters, Romania ranks 11th in the world, official figures show that only a small part of this reaches exports. “Currently, according to the latest official information, Romania ranks 14th in the world in terms of wine consumption per capita (24.6 liters of wine/year), local production is almost completely covered by domestic demand. But more and more local wineries are also looking for foreign markets. It is for this reason that the evaluation of wines at a competition such as Povești cu Vinuri Românești, as well as the impressions that producers have after participating in such a competition, will have a great impact on their long-term development,” concluded Mario Tomšić.

Article supported by BASF