TERROIR PROFILE
Calafat
Calafat – Hot
Cetate, Ciuperceni and Poiana Mare near Calafat on the Danube: sand dunes and gravel, new red-wine estates (Domeniul Cetate).
Climate, site & wine
Sand and sandy loam warm up quickly and drain very well, favouring ripe reds with dark fruit and soft tannins. Acidity remains moderate to low.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Băbească Neagră and Roșioară form the red-wine focus and yield wines with plum, blackberry and some spice. Fetească Regală and Riesling Italico provide mild, fruity whites. Alongside sandy areas, the plantations also include chernozem soils.
TERROIR PROFILE · Southern Sands
Calafat Calafat – Hot
Cetate, Ciuperceni and Poiana Mare near Calafat on the Danube: sand dunes and gravel, new red-wine estates (Domeniul Cetate).
SOILS
Sandaromatic, approachable
Loose sand and wind-blown sand warm up quickly and hold little water — they give aromatic, early-drinking wines with soft tannins; phylloxera-resistant.
CLIMATE · Warm · Dry · Sunny
Hot, dry climate on the lower Danube in south-western Romania with hot summers, moderately cold winters and low rainfall. The Danube tempers extremes slightly; ripening is early.
TOPOGRAPHY · gentle
Flat terrain on the Danube terraces of the Oltenian plain near Calafat at roughly 40 to 100 metres altitude, with sites in Cetate, Ciuperceni and Poiana Mare. Vines grow on sand flats and dune deposits with no significant slope.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Greaca
Danube Terraces
100% similar
- Calafat and Greaca share a strikingly similar fingerprint — the differences lie in soil and grape varieties.
Dacilor
Southern Sands
94% similar
- Minerality (slightly): Calafat is more mineral → salty-stony notes, more tension (3 vs. 2).
- Body (slightly): Calafat gives more body → fuller, more powerful wines (7 vs. 6).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 3 →This terroir's soils in the glossary