Cotnari Wine Region

The Cotnari wine region surrounds the village of Cotnari, seat of the commune of the same name in Iași County, north-west of Iași and south of the town of Hârlău. The vineyards lie on the eastern slope of the Dealul Mare al Hârlăului hill. The growing season lasts about 190 days, from 1 April to 30 September, and average July temperatures range from 19.0 to 21.1 °C. Because of winter frosts, the vines were traditionally covered with earth over the winter. The area has been inhabited since ancient times: a fortress from the sixth to fifth centuries BC was found on nearby Cătălina hill. The village of Cotnari is first recorded in 1448, and local tradition credits Prince Stephen the Great with developing the vineyards. In the 1560s, under Prince Ioan Iacob Heraclid (Despot Vodă), a Latin school, the „Schola Latina”, operated here. Only Romanian grape varieties are grown. The main ones are Grasă de Cotnari, Fetească albă, Tămâioasă românească and Frâncușă, alongside Busuioacă de Bohotin and Fetească neagră. Grasă de Cotnari, used for sweet wines, is the region's signature variety. The main producer is the Cotnari SA company, based in Cotnari village, which traces its origins to the estate set up in 1948 and reports more than 1,700 hectares of vineyards. The company keeps a wine library whose oldest collections date from 1956. For visitors, Cotnari SA offers group packages that include a tour of the winery and wine library and a wine tasting; current visiting arrangements are made directly with the company.