This fab sparkler has bright and lifted aromas of crisp apple, white flowers, and a touch of warm brioche. On the palate, it’s bright yet soothingly creamy, like fresh orchard fruit unfolding into subtle pastry notes, and it finishes with a clean, mouthwatering snap. An absolute winner!

Carastelec Winery brings a fresh, confident energy to one of Romania’s most amazing wine landscapes. Tucked into the gentle hills of northwestern Transylvania, it’s the country’s first estate devoted mainly to sparkling and semi-sparkling wines - an ambitious calling that suits it beautifully. The vineyards, chosen with great care by the late oenologist Tibor Gál, bask on south-facing slopes where clay-rich, mica-flecked soils and cool night air create the perfect conditions for vivid, sculpted bubbles. Every detail, from the vine density to the hand-harvesting, shows a quiet obsession with precision and elegance. Its home region of Crișana is no less captivating: a place where rivers, mountains, and history weave together in a way you can almost taste in the glass. Vines have clung to these hillsides since Roman times, and Carastelec itself appears in records as early as 1241. Today, that long arc of tradition meets modern craftsmanship, giving Carastelec’s sparkling wines a character that feels both rooted and refreshingly contemporary.