The Corcova Vignard is in the south-west side of Romania, in Mehedinți county, Oltenia and has 55 ha that have been replanted with traditional species of the area, included in the authorized DOC species in Mehedinți-Corcova: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Fetească Neagră, Muscat Ottonel, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a new species Syrah. The Corcova vignard knew its glory as estate of prince Anton Bibescu, at the end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. As of 2005, a part of the vignard of the Bibescu family is owned by Viticola Corcova and is property of Michel Roy & Șerban Dâmboviceanu.
In documents, the vignard is recognized in the 15th century. In a charter dated June 29th 1497, Radu cel mare gives to the Tismana Monastary 300 pails of wine from Jidoștița. Later, in a document of July 1st 1594, Mihai Viteazu secured two vignards in Corcova for Necula and in another, dated July 8th 1596, secures estates and vignards in Jirov, Cernaia, Cotoroaia and Valea Bună.
In the 19th and 20th centuries: Corcova, as estate of the Bibescu family had its glory period at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Prince Anton Bibescu owned over 2000 ha of land in the Cracova area, of vine, arable field and forrests. The prince hired young French agronomist Aristoteles Sauget to manage the Bibescu mansion in Corcova and the vignard. The young valedictorian graduate of the Agricultural Sciences from Nacy, Aristoteles Sauget is who reorganized the estate, planted noble vine species from France and created, after the vine making method from Bordeaux, the famous Corcovin and Corcovel, the later blendings having as bases Cabernet Sauvignon and they became very appreciated in France: the wine was loaded in oak tree wood barrels and transported with oxcarts to Strehaia. The the barrels were loaded into wagons and went to Paris. As a sign of gratitude for his devotion, prince Anton Bibescu have the administrator 50 ha of land, on which he built an Alsatian style villa. The estate fell into decay with the fire in 1907 and later during the world war.
After the communists came into power, the estate was confiscated, in 1948 and gradually became a ruin. The two sons of French oenologist hired by prince Anton Bibescu – Rene and Emanuel Sauget – split up. Rene went to France and Emanuel stayed. He was arrested and was forced to obey house arrest in Pitesti , where he stayed for the rest of his life. The Bibescu family estate became a State agricultural factory. None of the technologists working in agriculture during the communist period, some commendatory – eng. Ion Puianu, has been able to recreate the two blendings famous in the Bibescu family times: Corcovinul and Corcovelul.
The Corcova Roy & Dâmboviceanu wines are special and have that «gout du terroir», because here is where all the necesary elements are found: a temperal-continental climate with mediteranean influences – hot and draughty summers, gentle winters, with heavy snow; the soils with a varied lythological structure and a rich minerality, specific to the Motru Piemonte, part of the greatest Piemonte units of the country, Getic Piemonte; noble vine with the right species, provided by Pepinieres Hebinger and the creful and responsible work of the Corcova Roy & Dâmboviceanu team.
