Since ancient times, wave upon wave of foreign conquests have washed over Romania, changing — sometimes obliterating — parts of the region's cultural identity.
Romans, Ottomans and Soviets all left an indelible mark on the central-European land, but for wine lovers, it is arguably the Greeks, who introduced wine their making techniques to the region more than 3,000 years ago, who made the most lasting impression. Despite being afflicted by the phylloxera virus, which devastated most of Europe's vineyards in the late 19th century, Romania has managed to cling to the grape varieties that are particular to the country.
Before the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Romanian desert wine Cotnari was highly prized in Europe, especially by the French. Sadly for Western Europeans, the flow of exported wine during the Communist era was diverted exclusively to the Soviet Union. Since Romania has reopened up to the West, only a small amount of wine has begun to trickle through to the outside world. But people such as Romanian Adela Matsutani, a founding partner of H.M. Wine, are determined to open the floodgates and reintroduce the world to the delights of Romanian wines.