LacertA winery, the story behind the perfect wine

Walter Friedl, LacertA winery’s partner, told us more about the story behind it.

When and how did the LacertA story begin?

Walter Friedl:  It all started with me looking for a good glass of local wine 2002 in Bucharest……..

Without success.

The name LacertA has a very interesting meaning behind it. Could you tell us more about it?

W.F.: The LacertA – “The Lizard” in Latin – is our mascot. Our nearly 10.000 visitors per year from all over the world can watch the beautiful creatures running around in our vineyard. They are cute and a sign that our wine-garden is an ecologically friendly territory. We love these animals. That was the reason we “borrowed” their name for our wines.

Why Romania? Can we compete with wine making countries such as France or Italy?

W.F.: Great red and white wines had been produced in our wine region long before France and Italy. The “terroir” here is known as one of the best wine regions in the world. Rains in spring, snow in winter and dry and very long and sunny autumns are a guarantee for world class wines with a full body and very aromatic and elegant taste. Blind tastes at several international competitions showed us that our wines can easily compete with the top wines of France and Italy. Of course, a lot has to be done to let the wine connoisseurs in the world know about it. But we are working on it. We export already in 19 countries including Japan and China.

What is your favourite type of wine?

W.F.: The wine which our clients love. Currently it is our flagship red wine Cuvee IX, a wonderful blend of the best red wines we have including the local Feteasca Neagra (“Black Maiden Wine”). Of course, our “white wine made out of red grapes” – “Blanc de Noir” – is very popular and I love this wine personally a lot.

What is your idea of a day well spent?

W.F.: Being together with my wife and my friends and nice food prepared by a talented chef and the fitting wines. Preferable in a region which is not too cold and safe. A “nice to have” would be a good view. Of course, great music would be nice like from my compatriot Wolfgang Amadeus, but I wouldn’t mind if it is Sting or Elton John. A swimming pool or a clean, sandy beach? Why not? Fun, of course!

Please no stories about politics, religion or money……

What do you like best about Romania?

W.F.: The humor of the population. And that they don’t take themselves too seriously. They can laugh about themselves. Plus, the beautiful countryside. Especially our wine region “Dealu Mare”, which is only an hour away from the International Airport of Bucharest.

This is a unique paradise.

Any future plans for LacertA?

W.F.: Our master plan is to improve the quality of our wines even more. Daily. We are listening to our clients. We learn a lot from them about how we can fulfill this target.