📍 Segarcea

Segarcea is a wine zone in Dolj County, in the historical province of Oltenia in south-western Romania, protected in the EU as a designation of origin (PDO). According to the specification, it belongs to the Muntenia and Oltenia Hills wine region and lies on the Romanian Plain, 29 km south of Craiova, at a typical altitude of 145 m. The delimited area covers the town of Segarcea and the villages of Lipovu, Lipovu de Sus, Cerat and Malaica.

The vineyards lie at the southern edge of the Sălcuța piedmont field, on a mostly south-facing slope between 100 and 150 m; the highest points are Dealul Viilor (151.7 m) and Dealul Robului (150.3 m). The soils are cambic chernozems, rich in calcium carbonate and iron oxides. The climate is temperate continental with slight Mediterranean influences: the mean annual temperature is 11.6 °C and annual rainfall about 565 mm.

The wines may be white, aromatic or red. Whites include Fetească Albă, Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Tămâioasă Românească; reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Fetească Neagră, Syrah, Negru de Drăgășani and Marcelan. According to the specification, Cabernet Sauvignon gives dark, robustly tannic wines and Fetească Neagră wines with notes of cinnamon and dried plums; the reds are rich in extract and suited to ageing.

Vines and wine in Segarcea are mentioned in writing as early as 1557, when Pătrașcu the Good gave the lands of Segarcea as a dowry to his daughter Maria. In 1929 Segarcea was one of the 28 Romanian wine centres first recognised as entitled to produce wines with a controlled designation of origin.