Romania has had to put up with a lot of drama since it started producing wine 6,000 years ago. It has been raided by the Romans, Huns, Goths, Gepids, Avars, Bulgars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Hungarians, Austrians, Ottomans, Nazis and Soviets. It has been terrorised by famine, drought, plague, austerity, Count Dracula, Vlad the Impaler and Ilie Nastase’s haircut. But nothing hit its viticulture harder than the communist regime…

Wine Rack has tipped Romania as an upcoming powerhouse in the wine trade after revealing its Romanian Pinot Grigio was selling as well as its Italian version. Chairman Laki Christoforou said: “Romania is the one country that has really taken me by surprise this year, with some unbelievable wines. “They have some unbelievably priced wines coming out of Romania and sales have really surprised me.