📍 Dealu Mare

Dealu Mare ("Big Hill") is one of Romania's main wine zones, in the counties of Buzău and Prahova, on the southern slopes of the Istriţa hills. It belongs to the Muntenia and Oltenia Hills zone. Mostly red wines are made here, and the district is regarded as the country's best for reds, although whites exist too.

The vineyards lie on a south-facing slope. The appellation is protected as a PDO, and its rules are set out in a specification approved by the national vine and wine authority.

The main grapes are Fetească Neagră, a local red, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot brought from France. Among whites grow Fetească Regală and Tămâioasă Românească (Romanian Muscat). The Romanian grape gives wines with plum and pepper aromas, while the international ones give a more familiar taste.

Dealu Mare is a zone of small and large estates, where wine is made both by tradition and by modern methods. For lovers of red wine it is one of Romania's main zones, and Ștefănești and Drăgășani lie in the same zone. Fetească Neagră is among Romania's main red grapes, alongside Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Băbească Neagră and Pinot Noir.