Novak Winery highlights local Moldovan varieties
TrueWines is an importer that brings special wines to the Romanian market, wines that tell a story, from countries such as the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and, more recently, Serbia.
As TrueWines is the sole importer of Novak winery wines from the Republic of Moldova, we spoke with Horațiu Filip, the founder of TrueWines, to get some additional information about this winery, one of the most awarded wineries of the Republic of Moldova.
Novak Winery is a family winery, with years of professional activity behind it. Novak Winery owns 65 hectares of vines in Valul lui Traian wine region, in the south of the Republic of Moldova. The heart of the winery is its winemaker, Andrei Novak.
The combination of traditional winemaking methods with innovative technologies is a characteristic of the Novak brand which, in a short period of time, managed to stand out among the small winegrowers of Moldova and to receive numerous international awards for the wines produced.
The main characteristic of Novak winery is the special attention given to the care of its own vineyards and the use of the uniqueness of the area where they are located. The southern part of the Republic of Moldova is distinguished by a slight elevation, a large number of sunny days, a warm climate and a special composition of the soil, which allows an increased quality of both international and local varieties: Rară Neagră, Copceac or Fetească Neagră, as well as the innovative ones: Alb de Onițcani, Floricica and Legenda.
A good example is the experimental variety, Alb de Oniţcani, developed by Moldovan viticulturists in the 1960s, originally intended for distillation. Andrei Novak was the first winemaker who tried and succeeded in vinifying this resistant variety, which does not require chemical treatments.
The year 2020 brought the company 34 international awards, this success being guaranteed by the constant and efficient work of the winemaker and his team.
TrueWines has in their product portfolio wines from all Novak winery ranges:
- WHITE range: is represented by a selection of white and red wines and is differentiated by the local varieties used, led by Alb de Onițcani, the local grape variety revived by winemaker Andrei Novak and continuing with varieties such as Floricica, Legenda, Rară Neagră and, the newest variety that arrived in Romania, Copceac.
- CRÈME range: is represented by 3 wines partially matured in oak barrels: Rkatsiteli (grape variety originating in Georgia), Chardonnay and Alb de Onițcani & Rkatsiteli
- 500 LITERS BARRIQUE range is distinguished by wines matured for 10 months in 500 liter oak barrels. And here we have 3 distinct wines: Alb de Onițcani, Alb de Onițcani & Rkatsiteli, Chardonnay.
- BLACK range is the winery's super premium range, represented by special wines, produced in limited quantities. We mention here the wines made from a single variety such as Pinot Noir, Saperavi, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, but also the blends represented by Novak Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend #1 (35% Merlot, 30% Saperavi, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Rară Neagră), Red Blend #2 (50% Saperavi, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Fetească Neagră)
- Sparkling Novak: the winemaker studied the potential of various grape varieties to obtain a sparkling wine and decided to make several sparkling wines, including one of 4 varieties (Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rkatsiteli) that he produced in an edition limited to 2500 bottles.
- Novak Orange Wine: a novelty is the wine made in orange style from Muscat Ottonel variety. Alcoholic fermentation took place in the presence of skins, including grape seeds. The resulting wine has a golden color and aromas of dried apricots and peaches.
The fact that a winery does everything possible to promote the local grape varieties and especially to bring long-forgotten varieties back to the public's attention is something to be praised.
True Wines is the official importer of Novak wines in Romania and you can find here the full list of available wines.
True Wines is the official importer of Novak wines in Romania and you can find here the full list of available wines.
