Moșia Galicea Mare was reborn from its own ashes.

It is said about a wine that beyond the aromas and taste, it is necessary to tell a story, a newer or an older story, one written in well-written words. But in addition to all this, the story, even if it is written or told with chosen words, sooner or later will pass through the fire of confrontation with reality, a reality represented by the curious consumer, who, enchanted by the story, seeks to discover it at home. 

I first stepped through the gate of the winery in 2015, and in front of me opened a landscape, to say the least strange, consisting of a multitude of buildings that seemed to have no connection with each other, each intended to ensure the vision of the era and the owner who built them. 

A sumptuous Belle Époque building stood in the middle of the courtyard. As we approached, the charm of the building was dimmed by the ruin in which it was left to lie, an old wine cellar animated only by the pigeons and swallows that had made their nests in it. 

The winery steals your gaze from all the other buildings, older or newer, used or forgotten over time. A linear construction was the house for the vinification tanks and for the specific bustle of preparing the harvest, other buildings, and annexes covered with lianas allowed us to observe the passage of time and the brutal intervention of the communist period.

We returned in 2016, the owners of the winery changed and gradually we witnessed a spectacular transformation. The vineyards were rehabilitated, and the transition was made to a qualitative production, carefully regulated and supervised every year. The parcels were classified according to the qualities they impart to the grapes, sugar content, aromas, acidity, tannin, and anthocyanins, for each grape variety.

It has gone from using an incomplete technology to an ultra-modern technological line for grape processing, which includes de-stemming and optical sorting, so that only the perfect berries, which meet the size and color requirements, reach the tanks. The only complete technological line from Bucher Vaslin, which also includes the Delta Vistalis HD optical sorter in Eastern Europe, has been operating for several years in Galicea Mare.

The old tanks were gradually replaced by temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for white and rosé wines and Seguin Moreau and Garbellotto for red grape vinification. The latest investment, which was inaugurated with this year's harvest, is a new area in the winemaking space where 12 more Galileo concrete tanks have been added, in addition to the 8 purchased in previous years, a technology that allows the vinification of red grapes with moderate exposure to air. The spherical shape of these tanks ensures a natural sinking of the "cap", without the need for additional interventions, so the process is controlled and in the end, the obtained wines perfectly express the characteristics of the variety and the year. The wines are matured exclusively in "ICÔNE Elégance" Seguin Moreau oak barrels, which allow the wine to express both the uniqueness of the variety and the imprint of each year.

We were curious to find out what was the story of the original winery and thus discovered that the first owner was George Valentin Bibescu.

From a document issued in 1849, it appears that Prince Gheorghe Bibescu's estate in Galicea Mare had 19,526 pogonas, of which a significant area was occupied by vineyards. In 1896 the Galicea Mare estate became the property of George Bibescu and in 1902 he donated part of the estate to his son George Valentin Bibescu. In 1903, the division of wealth between George Valentin and his sister Nadejda Stirbey took place on the subject of the Galicea Mare estate. In 1912 George Valentin Bibescu established a new plantation of 15 ha of vines with the following varieties - Fetească Albă, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Ottonel, Alicante Bousquet, with grafted varieties from the Stirbey nurseries. The winery was built in 1915 according to a French brick model, with vaults at the entrance, and massive doors with iron elements, while the tower was built around 1940 with decorative elements specific to Olten after it was bought by Petre Durlănescu. 

1916 can be considered as the first year of vinification in the winery. The central body of the Pivnițele Plaiului Smârdăceți was built at the initiative of George Valentin Bibescu, while the annexes of the winery with the typical architecture of noble court stables were built by Petre Durlănescu.  

George Valentin Bibescu, grandson of ruler Gheorghe Bibescu, rightful claimant to the country's throne, from childhood he was attracted by "the temptation of the depths, the fear of heights and the love of floating" is the founder of Automobil club Romanian in 1904, and in 1909 he founded the Romanian Aviation Club and the National Air League in 1912, he gained considerable international fame, becoming president of the International Aeronautical Federation. George-Valentin Bibescu is the founder of Băneasa Airport in Bucharest, which was born on the former estate of his aunt, Maria Bibescu, Countess of Montesquiou-Fézensac. 

In 1902, he married Martha Lahovary. Writer, politician, a breathtakingly beautiful woman with brilliant intelligence, Princess Martha Bibescu was one of the most distinguished personalities of the European aristocracy in the 20th century. Descendant of the illustrious Lahovary and Mavrocordat families, she was a key figure in diplomacy and literature. Martha Bibescu's connections with great politicians of the time are well known, being even suspected of espionage. Beautiful, charming, and intelligent, she always knew how to naturally manage relationships with the most important men of Europe, she had amazing relationships in European and American political circles during the interwar period. She left Romania in September 1945.

As for Durlănescu's wine, it was said that "if you consumed a liter of wine, on the road, you would not be able to reach the mill in the village." There was a great demand for Galicea Mare wine among doctors from Bucharest and Cluj, medical centers frequented by Galicians. The elected mayor of the commune was very generous in helping the poor, Durlănescu did not have an easy life, his first wife was accidentally shot in the village pub following an altercation and he took revenge, killing the perpetrator. Although Petre Durlănescu was not a wine drinker, his "Bordeaux red wine" was considered the best in the area, but it also had a competitor, Boghici's wine, whose vineyards were across the hill from the winery. 

In the collective mind, the memory of the estate's wines remained alive, the incense with its beautiful perfume, the exclusive Bordeaux, the playful girl, and the faithful pinot. 

On June 8, 1949, the CAP DEZROBREA MUNCII, the first unit of this kind in the county, the vineyard, with an area of ​​50 ha, is part of the Giubega IAS. Starting in 1956, another 35 ha will be planted with varieties such as Riesling, Fetească Albă, Tâmiaoasă Românească, and Fetească Neagră. During the communist period, at the CC meetings of the PCR in Sinaia, Galicea Mare wine from the former Bibescu - Durlănescu vineyards was served.

Today all the buildings have been completely restored with special attention to all the architectural details specific to the Bibescu period as well as to the specific Oltenia's decorative ones introduced by Durlănescu. The interior of each room evokes the aristocratic heritage of the place and manages to recreate the atmosphere of the Belle Epoque, of a quiet life, full of flavor and taste.

The old winery, today completely restored, is spectacular, to say the least, the old rooms are highlighted. The cellar, located 6 meters deep, is the place where the bottles from the winery's collection and from private collections rest, the barrel room where the wine is waiting to be perfected and the main room recreates the atmosphere of a ballroom. It's simple here, while you admire every detail you have the feeling that the door will open and you will see Martha enter with George Bibescu ready to welcome their guests from the ball. 

And if the place encourages you to dream, the wines of the winery invite you to a life lived with passion. Every berry, every vine, and every drop of wine are imbued with the joy of someone passionate about what he does. The special energy and atmosphere of the estate shine through the passion and dedication with which unique wines are created, which bear the stamp of the place. 

Galicea Mare par excellence belongs to a historical cultural heritage of huge proportions, starting with the great aristocrats George Valentin Bibescu, Petre Durlănescu, and Eugen Simion, continuing with the lyrical heritage of the poet Mircea Dinescu and reaching today a new era of development in the same cultured spirit, aristocratic, refined, recreated by Iosefin Florea and Monica Petrică.

It takes courage and a bit of madness, but it is worth it to bring to light again a lost place in history, to use the most modern winemaking methods to emphasize the potential of the vine, while making unique wines.