Attraction
Dealu Mare Wine Region - Valea Călugărească
Valea Călugărească is one of the wine centres of the Dealu Mare wine region, the vineyard belt on the southern slopes of the Curvature Subcarpathians between the Teleajen and Buzău rivers, in Prahova and Buzău counties. Wines from the area may carry the protected designation of origin "Dealu Mare" with the sub-designation "Dealu Mare-Valea Călugărească".
Foto: Andrei Dobre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Dealu Mare wine region stretches for about 65 km and is 3-12 km wide, covering the hills and depressions of the Curvature Subcarpathians between the Teleajen river to the west and the Buzău river to the east, in Prahova and Buzău counties. The specification for the "Dealu Mare" protected designation of origin describes it as the most compact vineyard area in Romania and defines eight sub-designations: Boldești, Valea Călugărească, Urlați, Ceptura and Tohani in Prahova, and Breaza, Merei and Zorești in Buzău.
The "Dealu Mare-Valea Călugărească" sub-designation covers the villages of Valea Călugărească commune (including Valea Călugărească, Valea Largă, Valea Nicovani, Valea Poienii, Valea Mantei, Valea Popii, Vârfurile, Schiau and Răchieri), several villages of Bucov commune, the village of Albești-Paleologu and the Valea Mieilor district of the town of Urlați. To the south, the wine centre is bounded by the Ploiești-Buzău national road. The earliest written records of vine growing in this part of the country date from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and they mention Ceptura, Valea Călugărească, Valea Mantei and Valea Popii as places known for their wines.
The hills rise from 134-170 m at the edge of the plain to 460-550 m in the higher zone, with north-south valleys and slopes facing mainly south, south-east and south-west. The western part of the region is dominated by eroded reddish-brown forest soils rich in iron oxides, well suited to red wines, and the mean annual temperature is about 10.8°C. The specification describes the red wines of Valea Călugărească and Urlați as fine, with light tannins and bright colour. Permitted varieties include Fetească neagră, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Burgund mare among the reds, and Fetească albă, Fetească regală, Riesling italian, Muscat Ottonel and Tămâioasă românească among the whites.
Valea Călugărească commune lies on the Drumul Vinului (Wine Road) tourist route, which links the villages of the Dealu Mare region, and a wine festival is held every year at the end of September in the commune's main village.
Comuna Valea Călugărească, județul Prahova