Romania’s most well-known sommelier has set up his own business, “5enses Tasting”, on Romana Square, a legendary location in Bucharest.
How did your vocation for the sommelier profession come about?
Purely by chance in fact! It began from 1991 onwards, when I was working on luxury cruise ships as a Barman, after completing a course to qualify as a Specialist in Religious Art. I travelled across the oceans of the world until 1994 on the most prestigious cruise ships, such as the “Norway”, etc.
During this period, I was lucky enough to be introduced to the sommelier profession by John, one of the best English sommeliers.
How did you progress from a vocation to a passion for this profession?
After my marvellous wine initiation, I worked as a Barman until 1999 in two gastronomic hotels; the Athénée in Germany and the Hilton in Bucharest.
Bolstered by this tremendous experience, I wanted to set up my own business, associating gastronomy and wines. This is how I conceived my idea of creating a magical location (the “5enses Tasting”).
Your decision to set up a business in this acclaimed building located on Romana Square forms a perfect union between the ethos of the sommelier profession and the history of Romania.
Exactly; first of all because this remarkable building, “Casa Memoriala”, belonged to Roumain Petrascu, an artist who was famous all over Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.
At that time Bucharest was also called “Little Paris” and had a far-reaching cultural and intellectual influence. There was quite a large French population here too; this can be observed in the marvellous, predominant style of French architecture in Romania.
So this setting really was destined to become a centre for enriching the five senses.
What objectives have you set?
Primarily, I’m aiming to develop initiation and improve knowledge about Romanian wines, by widening the spectrum further to discovering the sensations of coffee, tea and cigars.
Not forgetting my main vocation of course, the art of matching food and wine!
This setting seems to encourage encounters between wine lovers and it ensures promotion for wine as well.
Yes, it does; it makes the world of sommellerie extremely accessible to all, from producers to consumers, by enabling people to taste re-introduced, traditional Romanian grape varieties, as well as new, imported varieties.
Ten years ago, there was a complete lack of awareness about the identity of Romanian wines and now, with the revival of vine growing, the sommelier profession is developing considerably.
How is the sommelier’s role perceived in restaurants?
It is a recent phenomenon, because Romanians were not accustomed to the new types of wine we can now find on sale.
For this reason I work with leading chefs to match these wines with various types of food and I also create dishes to adapt them to my wine selection.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction?
I am delighted to present wine as a means of expression to convey a message about all types of art, in an ambience of perfect conviviality, informing consumers by using this new five senses concept.
What is your favourite grape variety?
The Feteaska Neagra, one of the oldest native Romanian varieties; it is delightful and offers a wide diversity of characteristics that vary according to the region of production.Is there a wine you particularly like?
There are several, because I have always had a “special fondness” for a wine whose balance of organoleptic characteristics resembles the qualities of the person who makes it.
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