In mid-March, Cosmin Grozea and Nicusor Cazan organised the first vertical tasting of Solo Quinta and Cuvee Überland, at Bon restaurant in "Centrul Vechi", Bucharest. This event was arranged to highlight differences between similar wines. In vertical tasting, different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. This emphasizes differences between various vintages. With his characteristic charm and wine from his own collections, Cosmin opened the tasting with Sole Chardonnay 2013, then served wines vertically and paired them. He compared Solo Quinta 2013 to the one from 2012 and Solo Quinta 2010, the evening diva, was served alone so we could enjoy all its splendor.

Solo Quinta is an unusual blend between four white varieties and a red variety vinified in white. This wine changes every year depending on the grapes that give the best performance that season. The idea of the name came from the five varieties involved and the symphony of flavours that have formed. The 2013 version is a blend of Chardonnay, Muscat, Fetească Regala, Viognier and, the red variety, Cadarca.

The best of the best grapes gather together in this Solo Quinta blend. This claim is supported by the fact that this wine is to be found today in some of the best restaurants in the world; these restaurants have been crowned with stars of the Michelin Guide (Maze, Gordon Ramsay's restaurants). Yet another proof is the Great Gold Medal (for the best white wine in the competition) won at Vinalies Internationales 2011 - an important international wine competition in France. Thus, Solo Quinta has managed to place Romania on the world map of premium wines. Today, it is the only Romanian wine with the most important international distinction ever granted.

Furthermore, Cuvee Überland vertical managed to surprise everyone. The evolution of wines has been spectacular. Served in pairs, starting wih 2012 si ending with 2006, Cuvee Uberland is hard evidence that wine gets better with age. 2006 si 2007 were in the spotlight that day, and we could hear people saying how spectacular and incredible this wine is. They were taken aback by the quality of our wines. I will not grade the wines, but I suggest you try them. I warn you though that they are rather hard to find.

The story of the Black Pearl at Recas Wineries - Cuvee Uberland - begins in 2005, when Australian winemaker Hartley Smithers wanted vine plots with high levels of ripeness of the grapes, an unfeasible dream in Romania. Thus, Hartley carefully searched for top plots in Recas. He found them in the local area called Überland ("the valley over the hill"); there, the soil conditions and microclimate proved to be exceptional. Grapes were applied a technique used in Australia for sweet wines called cane cutting, where some of the strings of each vine cuttings are cut when the grapes have reached normal maturity. Then the grapes are left to dry in the vineyard for about two to three weeks until they've shrivelled, thus fortifying the flavour. As a result, a more sturdy, interesting and fragrant wine will come out. After one year, having gained courage with the first Cuvee Überland, the first Amarone wine was created (from 100% vine cut), Cuvee Überland 2007.

The label of the wine is inspired by the story of a 90-year old Schwab who grew up in Recas, Herr Haier. When he visited the winery the schwab told us how Recas vineyards were when the city was a Schwab village, right before communism. Back then, there were about 250 hectares of vines planted by Schwabs and Überland Hill had been one of the most prized vine plots for more than 200 years.

Today, Überland Cuvee is a blend that is subject to the golden rule of all blends: getting what is best from each variety, and these varieties have to form a whole. Well, this wine - with a intense burgundy colour - is coherent and integrated, powerful and expressive, complex but mellow and friendly. It is a wine that deserves our attention and must be treated with patience, because it brings forth many flavours, each of them offering something new to discover. This wine is then "educated" in barriques in order to feed on the wood flavours.