Rated 'Excellent' on TripAdvisor
Don't miss the opportunity to meet Baron Jakob Kripp and taste lovely wines from his Prince Stirbey estate in Romania.
This is a story of persecution, love and beautiful wine.
The Prince Stirbey vineyards were confiscated from Princess Maria Stirbey by the communist government after World War 2. They were only restored to her granddaughter, Princess Ileana Stirbey, in 2001.
For 300 years wine had been made on the Prince Stirbey estate and was even served on the Orient Express under the direction of Prince Babu Stirbey, Ileana's great-grandfather.
At the end of World War 2 the new communist government expropriated the land and property of noble families and imprisoned various members of the Stirbey resistant to the communist cause. Princess Ileana's family eventually escaped to France to start a new life there when Ileana was just a girl and she adjusted to life in France and stopped thinking of Romania.
Decades later Ileana met her husband Baron Jakob Kripp, an Austrian nobleman and lawyer, and he suggested she apply to have her family's lands restored. The couple took a trip to Dragasani for their honeymoon and Ileana met friends there she hadn't seen since she was a little girl.
A vision to restore her family heritage gradually grew and the couple started a legal application process. In 2001 they were able to reclaim 20 hectares of the family lands and began renovating the winery.
Jakob and Ileana have since gone from strength to strength making Prince Stirbey wines, particularly showcasing indigenous Romanian grapes.
Come and hear the story firsthand while sampling:
7 wines, full tasting notes, use of professional tasting glasses and nibbles.
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