Transylvania — Alba & Sibiu

Târnave

Transylvania's fresh, aromatic whites

The cool plateau between the two Târnava rivers, in the heart of Transylvania, yields Romania's freshest and most aromatic white wines. Altitude and cold nights preserve acidity and aroma — Fetească Regală, Muscat Ottonel and Traminer take on a crystalline vibrancy here, and Transylvanian sparkling wines are among the country's best.

Jidvei, one of Central Europe's largest wineries, dominates the region and welcomes visitors at the Bethlen-Haller castle and among the surrounding vines. It's a natural stop in the heart of Transylvania, between Alba Iulia, Sighișoara and the Saxon villages.

Signature grapes

Fetească RegalăFetească AlbăMuscat OttonelTraminer

Good to know

Ask for the Târnave sparkling — the cool climate makes it surprisingly good.

Wineries to visit in Târnave

Winery

Crama Jidvei

Jidvei is Romania's largest single-estate winery and the heart of the Târnave region, in the cool Transylvanian plateau. Here altitude and cold nights preserve acidity and aroma, and the result shows in fresh, perfumed whites — Fetească Regală, Muscat Ottonel, Traminer, Sauvignon Blanc — and in sparkling wines among the country's best. The top of the range, Owner's Choice and Mysterium, is made on the estate around the Bethlen-Haller castle at Cetatea de Baltă, a Renaissance jewel that has become the winery's image. Visits include tours, tastings and views over vines that stretch as far as the eye can see. It's the natural stop in the heart of Transylvania, between Alba Iulia, Sighișoara and the Saxon villages, for anyone after the cool, crystalline wine of the Târnave.

4.6(1,704 reviews)

Winery

Crama Liliac

Liliac is the Austrian-Romanian winery at Lechința, on the northern edge of the Transylvanian wine world, with the bat (die Fledermaus) as a playful symbol on its labels. The modern estate works both native grapes — Fetească Neagră, Fetească Albă, Fetească Regală — and international ones, in clean, friendly, well-made wines that quickly found a following. The cool climate here gives fresh whites and supple reds, with a northern crispness. The winery, designed for wine tourism too, welcomes visitors for tastings and tours in an elegant setting among the Bistrița hills. It's a pleasant stop on the map of Transylvanian wine, for anyone who wants to see how good wine is made at a latitude where few would expect it.

4.6(86 reviews)

Winery

Villa Vinèa

Villa Vinèa brings an Italian-inspired elegance to the Târnave region, on the hills of Mica in Mureș county. The winery bets on finesse and the clean fruit of Transylvania's cool climate, with ranges such as Selection and Premium, from Fetească Regală, Pinot Gris, Traminer and reds surprisingly refined for this latitude. The wines have steadily won awards and carried forward the idea that Transylvania can make top-class whites. The modern, well-kept estate welcomes visitors for tastings and tours among the vines, in a landscape of gentle hills. It's a stop as pleasant as it is convincing for anyone wanting to discover the elegant, contemporary face of Transylvanian wine, within easy reach of Târgu Mureș or Sighișoara.

4.5(157 reviews)