ICONIC ESTATE Winery – Elegance and professionalism
End of June 2021 – "Great heat, mon cher..." as Caragiale would say. Almost 45 km from Ploiești - the city of my great-grandfather Iancu, following the "Wine Road", after an hour of driving through a special landscape, we arrived at the ICONIC ESTATE Winery.
Before describing the visit to ICONIC ESTATE, a few words about this road:"The Wine Road" is a project initiated since 2004, in which tourists are invited to cross famous vineyards of Prahova County on a route with a length of 58 kilometers. The road reissues an older segment of a wine road used in Antiquity by Roman merchants who crossed Europe.
The route passes through areas with thousands of hectares of vines, eight famous wineries, mansions that belonged to old boyar families and even members of the royal family, some renovated and recently entered the tourist circuit, others in ruins, but equally spectacular, monasteries and thematic museums that reconstruct the atmosphere of the houses of the landowners in the Dealul Mare Vineyard area.
Returning to our visit, here we are, arriving at the ICONIC ESTATE Winery around 12 noon. There was a lot of traffic and excitement, as several buses were unloading tourists eager to visit and learn, but especially for the wine tasting that was shaping up to be a memorable one.
In this feverish atmosphere, a few girls from the winery, coordinated by Ms. Ștefania Tache, were trying to organize the groups, considering the 3 entry times: 11, 13 and 15. We "stuck" with the group that entered at 13…
The visit to the winery started off in the most beautiful way possible, with a view of the huge stainless steel tanks where the wine was maturing...there, at the entrance, we were greeted by the host of the entire visit: Mrs. Lorena Deaconu Stoian, the creator of the wines at Iconic Estate.
Lorena Deaconu Stoian remains one of the few female oenologists in our country and one of the female members of the Romanian Association of Authorized Wine Tasters (ADAR). She has an impressive career, with more than 25 years of experience in the field, during which she worked at good wineries in Romania, won numerous medals at international competitions for her wines, did training internships abroad and was a juror at specialized competitions, in turn.
Warm, open, very communicative and eager to share the secrets of wine with those interested, she managed in the few dozen minutes to completely conquer us. At least me and my wife – Mihaela, who "attached" to Mrs. Lorena's soul. The two still maintain a special relationship of communication and respect today.
I want to tell you that of the varieties presented by Mrs. Lorena, the one that impressed me the most during the tank tasting was Feteasca Albă.
I didn't think that this Romanian grape variety, in the hands of Mrs. Lorena, could produce a wine that simply explodes in a cascade of floral perfumes, with discreet references to honeycombs.
The aroma of vine flowers that accompanies it and its smooth taste give it an original, unmistakable touch. That's how I perceived this wine...
Next came the barrel room. It seemed huge, extremely clean, very well structured, with a controlled temperature, which helps the wine sleep peacefully..
And so we got to the wine tasting...the tasting room was very nicely decorated with taste and quality furniture. We had the Premium Package as a tasting package - which was composed of: Rhein Extra - Imperial (sparkling), Prahova Valley - Fetească Albă, La Crama - Tămâioasă Românească, Byzantium - Rose, Colina Piatra Albă - Red and Hyperion - Fetească Neagră. The whole package was 100 lei/person.
The presentation of the wines and the necessary explanations regarding the ICONIC ESTATE portfolio were provided by Mrs. Lorena, assisted by a sommelier who served as host. The entire wine tasting was a success!
We then talked for a good few minutes, confessing and sharing impressions about the visit itself and future plans. All with a disarming frankness on the part of our host!. I consider the visit to ICONIC ESTATE, one of the most successful wine tastings at a winery in Romania…
THE ICONIC ESTATE owns over 255 hectares of vineyards in one of the most fertile wine regions in Romania, which provides a significant part of the grapes used to obtain exceptional wines: the Dealu Mare vineyard.
Can be mentioned, as a recognition of the value of the winery's wines, the awards received at international competitions.
ICONIC ESTATE, member of ALEXANDRION GRUP, was the first winery in Romania to win the Grand Gold Medal at the 2002 Brussels World Competition, with the wine Prahova Valley Special Reserve of Pinot Noir 1999.
Also, Hyperion Exclusive Chairman's Reserve Cuveé Roumaine 2013 received the Grand Gold Medal and the "Romanian Revelation" distinction at the 2023 Brussels World Wine Competition. The Grand Gold Medal is the most important medal a producer can add to its portfolio.
At the end of my editorial,I cannot conclude without putting on paper what the oenologist, Chief winemaker Lorena Deaconu Stoian thinks about wine: “I feel like a mother for my wine, and like any mother, I don't feel the effort behind the work. The greatest fulfillment is the appreciation of those who taste my wines. I have a lot of friends, everyone who buys a Halewood wine is my friend. And I don't mind that I sleep, eat and live in the winery and that I wake up in the middle of the night to see how the "children" are doing.
Thank you, wine creator, thank you Iconic Estate!