Jidvei vineyards

Jidvei is the most famous and largest Romanian winemaker of premium dry and medium dry white wines. Based in the heart of Transylvania, Jidvei’s vineyards spread on more than 2,500 hectares alongside the Tarnava River, in one of the country’s oldest wine regions. The winemaker takes its name from the village situated in Alba county in the heart of the Transylvanian plateau. 

It was the wine-making skill the German population brought in the 16th century, together with the specific terroir of the region, very similar to the one in Germany, which gave the Tarnave region the name of “Weinland” - Wine country.

Most varieties cultivated here are white: Feteasca Regala, Feteasca Alba, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Muscat Ottonel, while the red grape varieties include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

Although the company is privately owned since 1999 but it’s history begins in 1949 when a state owned company was set up. It was during the communist period that Jidvei became a standard of quality for white wines, not only in Romania, but also abroad, as Jidvei wines were one of the products with great export value. It is now a family business, with the third generation already involved in the company’s management and it is considered one of the most successful authentic Romanian brands, its products being a true standard of quality, but its scale making it one of the largest winemaking companies with single private ownership. Since its privatisation, Jidvei grew constantly in terms of quantity - from 1,000 to over 2,500 hectares of vineyard and over 10 million bottles sold worldwide.

Jidvei currently owns four winemaking facilities:

Balcaciu (1958)

 

Jidvei (1974)

Blaj (1989)

and Tauni (2014)

The main winemaking centre is JIDVEI, with a total capacity of 17.5 million litres and two bottling lines. It is here that the largest winemaking team works and where most of the wines go through the final stages before being bottled.

On top of what Jidvei has to offer in terms of its wine, there's a unique experience that should not be ignored.

Within Jidvei's estate there's a piece of history in the form of Bethlen-Haller castel. 

Bethlen-Haller Castle was built in Renaissance style by the father of Transylvania's chancellor, Miklos Bethlen, between 1560-1624. Having four towers located in the four corners, the castle was built according to the model of those in the Loire Valley. It was intended as a hunting and leisure castle, not as a defensive residence, therefore the attestation in the documents of the time is quite poor. Over time, the castle went through numerous transformations: the construction of the current building was completed in 1624, and between 1769-1773, the castle was remodelled in the Baroque style.

For those who wish to know more about this winemaker, you're in luck. Jidvei offers a range of experiences from visiting the castel, to wine tasting, touring the wine cellars and the fields and you can even book a few nights to stay in the castel. 

You can find all of this by visiting: https://www.jidvei.ro/castelul-bethlen-haller/#viziteaza 

To get to Jidvei, the easiest way is to fly to Sibiu or Cluj-Napoca and hire a car with a journey of less then 2 hours. 

To check out Jidvei's products available on our online shop click here.