The Ordo Equestris Vini Europae-Consulat Romania, in partnership with S.C. Cotnari S.A, organized the first edition of The Festival of the Knights of the Wine of Romania in Iași from 4 to 6 October 2019. In accordance with the recent law which sets up the celebration of the National Day of Gastronomy and the Romanian Wine for the first weekend of October on an annual basis, the Festival is designed to promote the Romanian wine producers.
Ordo Equestris Vini Europae is an international organization, present in 28 countries, with over 5.000 members, important people from the economic, social and cultural domains, all dedicated to promoting the European values following the key European principle of unity in diversity and bringing wine, an element of cultural identity, in the center of attention.
The Consulat for Romania of the Ordo Equestris Vini Europae started its activity in 2007, and has today over 400 members organized in five Legates and seven Knightly Chairs. The actions of the Knights are characterized by voluntary work. The reward for their efforts is the feeling of fulfilled duty, of being able to pass on to the next generations the spirit of preservation of the ancient wine –growing tradition.
The Festival of the Knights of the Wine of Romania is intended to have an itinerary character and an international participation, the Consulat of Romania of OEVE having chosen to organize the first edition in Iasi in partnership with the most representative Romanian wine producer, S.C. Cotnari S.A. With an extensive experience of over 70 years and vineyards of approximately 1800 hectares, Cotnari S.A. has contributed to making history for the Romanian wine production. The event, which brought together over 200 participants from Romania, Austria and the Republic of Moldova, started on Friday with a visit at Cotnari S.A., followed by a tasting of wines and a traditional and joyful dinner, with traditional dishes, associated with Cotnari wines, accompanied by folk Romanian music. On this occasion, Cotnari S.A. presented two new types of wine:
The first wine of the year 2019 – FRÂNCUȘA DE COTNARI
The launching of the COTNARI sparkling wine
The next day, the programme started with a symposium on Romanian wine growing within the European and global context, presented by the academician Valeriu V.Cotea. The presentation was both well-informed on the topic and attractive, catching the entire attention of the audience.
The programme continued with a tour of the main touristic sights from Iasi, followed by a memorable performance offered by the State Philharmonic Orchestra at the Iasi Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre, where 200 gifted musicians entertained the audience.
The following events marked the knightly component of the festival, including a procession of the Knights accompanied by a military brass band and the enthronement ceremony organized in the beautiful Voivodes’ Hall in the Iasi Palace of Culture.
The Festival ended with a festive dinner organized at Grand Hotel Traian – Sala Eminescu, which, apart from the oeno-gastronomic delight, offered the perfect environment for socializing and the awarding of the distinctions of the Romanian Consulate of OEVE.
The entire event was highly regarded by the participants as being an outstanding success, which demands that the Wine Knights gather their efforts with a view to organizing the next edition of the Festival of the Knights of the Wine of Romania to the standards that the present edition has raised the expectations for.
We bring the presentation of the event to an end with the wine knights motto :
IN HONOREM DEI et IN HONOREM VINI!
Proconsul I, OKT Eques Ornatus Marius FARMAZON
The Consulat of Romania of O.E.V.E. is a member of F.I.C.B. Click here for the special message sent by the President of F.I.C.B. on the occasion of the Festival
Website of OEVE Romania and a photo gallery https://www.oeve.ro
