Attraction
Podgoria Panciu
Podgoria Panciu is the largest vineyard area in Vrancea County, with approximately 9,500 hectares of vines spread across a strip of piedmont hills with an average width of 9 km, between the Trotuș Valley to the north and the Putna Valley to the south. It is one of the few areas in Romania where sparkling wines are produced using the Champenoise method (bottle fermentation, minimum 18 months of ageing) — a technique specific to the Champagne region of France. The area's flagship variety is Șarba, a grape cultivar grown almost exclusively in Podgoria Panciu, with a strongly local character that cannot be found anywhere else.
Podgoria Panciu is part of the Dealurile Moldovei Viticultural Region and covers an area of approximately 9,500 hectares, comprising three wine-growing centres: Panciu, Țifești and Păunești. It is located in the piedmont zone on the outer side of the Carpathian curve in Vrancea, along a strip of hills averaging 9 km in width and 30 km in length running north to south. The calcareous clay-loam soils, east-south-east exposure, a slope of approximately 3°, balanced humidity and moderate temperatures — with annual averages of 10–11°C — make up a distinctive terroir, particularly well suited to the production of fine white wines and sparkling wines. The most remarkable feature of the vineyard area is its production of sparkling wines using the classic Champenoise method, a rarity in Romania: the wine undergoes a second fermentation directly in the bottle and is aged for a minimum of 18 months in cellars — the same process used in Champagne, France. The 17th-century "Ștefan cel Mare" cellars, a listed historical monument, are where Cramele Panciu (Veritas) stores and ages these sparkling wines. The Șarba variety, grown almost exclusively in this vineyard area, yields white wines with pronounced acidity and floral aromas characteristic of the region. Wineries open to visitors with organised tastings include Domeniile Panciu Resort (4-star hotel, guided tours, tasting of 5 wines, farm-to-table restaurant, swimming pool and cycling through the vineyards — their wines won a silver medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in 2020), Cramele Panciu/Veritas (home to the Hrubele Ștefan cel Mare cellars), Crama Fritzman and Moșia Domnească. Podgoria Panciu is located 30 km from Focșani via DN2D, or 175 km from Ploiești and 100 km from Bacău.
Panciu judetul Vrancea