Carrefour hypermarket in Ploiești – a new attraction for inspired shopping. Discover traditional products and wines from local producers in the new Carrefour hypermarket in Ploiești

I was in the new Carrefour hypermarket, opened in our country, in the Prahova Value Center in Democracy, and I was surprised to discover, along with international or Romanian products from well-known brands, many fresh products from the region. Whether it’s food or wine, among the 50,000 products available on the shelf, I was happy to find Romanian tastes that the people of Ploiești will love.

My food discoveries

Although it may seem unnatural, my first stop was the sweets from Delice confectioneries. The ones I always turn to when I go to friends – because we all know you can’t go empty handed – or even for Christmas, for a delicious family snack, between traditional meals.

In addition, we even found fresh food, prepared in Carrefour laboratories by the most skilled chefs. From healthy salads, Romanian dishes, French potatoes, to pasta or rice dishes, all these can be found in the area Gastro. I took, for example, a chicken steak with French fries, and next to it, assorted pickles. So, like the season. However, I couldn’t help but try an Asian snack, some Korean-made dumplings on the corner Bibigo To Go. It was hard to decide, because I found everything there, from delicious noodles to salads or boxes of snacks.

Going further through the districts, I saw a lot of fresh fish and seafood. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that certain types of fish come directly from our much-loved local producers: Valea Stânii Zăganu trout farm and Doftana trout farm.

And if you are passionate about exotic combinations of fruits and vegetables and you want to rediscover the simplicity of recipes known from childhood, as I am, you have access to a wide range of BIO fresh products. I found a lot of fruits and vegetables from the Carrefour Quality Chain, which are grown locally and do not travel more than a few hours until they reach the shopping cart, so they are very fresh. And if time or schedule does not allow you to run to the store, find out that they are also available through the Bringo app. I’m already planning to replenish my stock in the fridge with an order through Bringo.

Here are some local and regional manufacturers whose products you can find in the new Carrefour hypermarket: Cățean FarmFor example, it is a family business that keeps the secrets of cheese-making and animal husbandry for more than five generations. Their delicious cheeses are made from raw milk, according to local recipes, with traditional wooden utensils. I can’t wait to try them! The ones from Agrisol We know them well, they have a tradition for many years on the Romanian market, and from their fresh chicken or pork we can make dishes that are more or less spectacular or more traditional, for the winter holidays. The Prestige created plenty in the dishes every time we had festive meals in the family, both through the quality products of fresh meat, but also for their mega delicious sausages.

“The new Carrefour is a store open to small and large local producers. We tried to collaborate with the most beloved entrepreneurs in the Prahova area who offer products with tradition in the area and are very appreciated by the people of Ploiești, because we want to bring them to the tables the healthiest dishes. Thus, we are very proud that on the shelves of our hypermarket there are products from producers in the region, such as: Delice Confectioneries, Doftana Trout Farm, Cățean Farm or Agrisol. In addition, the people of Ploiești can find wines from the hills of Muntenia, included in Deschidem Vinul Românesc, a national program that was developed to support Romanian wine producers to grow, develop and reach the shelves of Carrefour stores. We want quality wines to reach the houses and glasses of the locals as easily as possible, so that they will recognize the names of wineries such as Domeniul Muntean, Licorna Winehouse, Gramofon Wine, Domeniile Blaga, Pietroasa Veche or Velvet Winery.”, me-he told Marius Tudor, Carrefour Ploiești Democracy Hypermarket Manager.

Small stop in the WineSquare area

Following what the store manager said, I discovered another area that supports local producers. She is called WineSquare and promotes wines from the program We open Romanian Wine which was created by Carrefour to support Romanian producers in all wine regions of the country. We can find wines from 31 small and medium wineries in 7 regions, wineries chosen for the attention they show to the production process, the care for the wine and the value that their business brings to the community. To refer to our area, among the regional wines, in the new Carrefour Ploiești Democrației, I found a good selection of assortments from Muntenia from Muntean Domain, Licorna Winehouse, Gramofon Wine, Blaga Domains, Pietroasa Veche or Velvet Winery.

I present to you, in short, the stories I found out about the 6 wineries present in the WineSquare area of ​​the new Carrefour hypermarket.

Muntean domain – Dan Muntean has worked in the Romanian wine industry for over 30 years and is known for most of his career as the CEO of Halewood – currently part of the Alexandrion Group, renamed Iconic Estate. In the 1990s, Halewood became one of the main players on the market, owning vineyards in Dealu Mare and Sebeș-Apold, a sparkling wine winery in Azuga (Rhein) and a grape processing plant in Ploiești. In 2017, Dan Muntean founded his own company, Domeniul Muntean, which owns 70 hectares of vines in Dealu Mare.

Licorna Winehouse – The winery was opened in 2013, but the place was enriched by the story many years before Licorna became an inspiration for the name. The locals say that more than 100 years ago, Nicolae and Elena Nicolau decided to build a winery on this place. The winery was also built in 2013, with a grape processing capacity of 150 tons per year. It is equipped with the latest winemaking technique, and the emphasis is on the vinification of red wines. The mansion that is part of the Licorna Winehouse complex belonged to the Nicolau family and represented for them the place where they ennobled their grape production that they made during the year and was built between 1907 and 1909.

Wine turntable – Saxophonist Marcel Pascu, returning to his homeland after a musical career that took him all over the world, could not name his vineyard without resorting to a musical metaphor. “The concept of Gramofon Wine is to convey the harmony of wine in the simplest and most natural way”, sounds the guiding idea of ​​the winery. Marcel Vulpoi, the second associate, is a professor at ASE and the manager of an accounting and financial consulting firm, which first had Gramofon as its client. Gramofon Wine is located in the Dealu Mare area, near the town of Urlați, Moceşti village, Iordăcheanu commune.

Domains Blaga – A family company created in 2010 from the passion of the owners – Mihai Blaga and his father, Aurel Blaga – for good wines. Mihai Blaga’s passion for wine is old and, at the beginning, he made wine for friends, from purchased grapes. After 1990, he decided to buy a vineyard, and a visit to the Ceptura area convinced him that Dealu Mare was the place to “take root”. He gradually bought, plot by plot, until he reached 50 acres. Only then did he realize that his hobby had to be turned into a business.

Pietroasa Veche – Didactic Research-Development Station for Viticulture and Pomiculture Pietroasa – Istrița was established in 1893, after an attack of phylloxera. Today, it belongs to the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest and deals with viticulture and fruit growing, but also has a winery that processes grapes and sells wine. Before 1900, more than 700 varieties of table grapes and wine grapes were brought here from all over the world, which formed the basis of new varieties and clones. In 1932, the country’s first “cellar school” was established.

Velvet Winery – From the pure passion for wine and wine was also told the story of the Velvet Winery winery, a small winery, boutique type, but which managed to leave its mark on quality Romanian wine. The winery is located in the heart of the Dealu Mare wine region, Tohani vineyard, in an area with a rich viticultural tradition, known for producing expressive and complex wines, with well-integrated fine tannins and fresh and intense aromas. The modern technology of grape processing and elaboration of creative wines with which the winery is equipped manages to preserve both the primary aromas of the grapes and the typical variety specific to the favorable pedo-climatic context that benefits the winery.

I was captivated by the stories and I can’t wait to try the assortments from the wineries mentioned above. You?

Currently, Carrefour offers in Ploiești Democracy a universe of shopping options, which can be accessed through:

• The hypermarket itself – December 1 Square, no. 1, Ploiești, open from Monday to Sunday, between 07:00 and 22:00; over 50,000 affordable products; a sales area of ​​4,140 sqm; about 800 free parking spaces; 5 traditional houses, 7 fast Self Checkout houses with cash / card payment and 5 Self Checkout houses with payment exclusively by card; Click & Collect; Free WI-FI; Phone: 0374.300.910;
• Carrefour application which includes the Act For Good program;
• carrefour.ro;
• BRINGO.

(P)