It is a great honour for us that Carastelec Winery and its sparkling wines contributed to the introduction of Romania as a sparkling wine producer country in the luxurious fourth edition of Christie's World Encyclopedia of Champagne and Sparkling Wine. The book was written by multi-award winning wine writer Tom Stevenson and Essi Avellan, Master of Wine was launched in November 2019.
This is the first time ever when Romania as a sparkling wine producer country is present in the most comprehensive fizz guide. As Tom Stevenson wrote in his book
"Carastelec Winery initiated the era of world-class sparkling wine in Romania".
"We awarded the winery World Champion Rising Star Trophy at the 2018 CSWWC, the same awards where Carastelec were awarded their first Gold Medal." Since then we get another Gold Medal, two Best in Class Special Awards and a National Champion Trophy at 2019th edition of CSWWC for our Carassia Classic Magnum, but ever since, that World Champion Rising Star Trophy has been the most outstanding recognition we had received and confirms us, that our mission to produce world-class sparkling wines is on the right way.
The previous three editions of the encyclopedia, have been considered the reference for sparkling wine for the past 20 years. When first published in 1998, it was ranked among its "Top Ten Best Wine Books" by The Independent. This fourth edition was recently awarded as one of the best wine education books at Gourmand Awards 2020.
It is an accurate snapshot of who's who globally in sparkling wine and what is taking place in different corners of the world. The introductory section is a well-structured overview about the history of sparkling wines, a step-by-step guide to how sparkling wine is made, the importance of terroir, the styles of sparkling wines and even storing and serving rules. Following the introductory section, the encyclopedia is arranged in a country-by-country format with producer profiles and the list of each country's successful wines at CSWWC (2014-2018).
The main selection criterion has been significance, measured in quality, quantity or reputation. More than 2,000 producers and their products from around the world are rated with an in-depth analysis of their history, method of production and style of wine. The authors rated Carassia Blanc de Blancs with 2,5 stars, Carassia Classic Brut and Carassia Rosé Brut with two stars. Accordingly, with Christie's evaluation system, the tree stars mean "extraordinarily exceptional", the two stars "near-perfect vintage by vintage". The Carassia Blanc de Blancs being described by Assi Avellan as ".. the star in its pineapple and cream fruitiness that comes with yeasty complexity. The perky palate has plenty of energy. It will be interesting to see the heights this ambitious venture can reach in the future",
About the authors: Tom Stevenson has long been regarded as the world’s leading authority on Champagne and sparkling wine. He is the founder of the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships. Master of Wine Essi Avellan is one of the most talented sparkling wine specialists and young wine writers, she is the organiser of the Grand Champagne Helsinki event as well.
