Every year, Paris celebrates Eastern European culture during the “Un Week-end à l’Est” festival. At its ninth edition this year, Romania took center stage, following previous editions dedicated to Ukraine, Serbia, and Greece.
A “weekend” is, in fact, an understatement for the nearly two weeks devoted to Romanian culture, which began on November 18 with a screening of Cristian Mungiu’s film Occident (2002), and will conclude on December 1 with a literary event featuring Matei Vișniec and a Subcarpați concert. All of this took place under the generous umbrella of the Spirit wines, the new range launched by Jidvei.
Three Wines, 80 Artists
Romania made a strong impression at the festival: 80 top artists from every field, from literature to film. Mircea Cărtărescu, Cristian Mungiu, Dan Perjovschi, Matei Vișniec, Corneliu Porumboiu, Ioana Pârvulescu, and Mircea Cantor are just a few of the names that drew crowds to exhibitions, cinemas, reading halls, and concert venues.
The 2025 edition features Cristian Mungiu, Palme d’Or winner, as its ambassador, this time not only with film screenings but also with an impressive photography exhibition capturing everything from everyday life to potential film frames.
“We always wish for Romania to have a fairer image abroad, and culture has always been what saved us and earned us the positive attention we long for. (…) We have the opportunity to present ourselves to a Western audience and to spark their curiosity to discover a modern, creative, bold Romania – one capable of shaking off provincialism and keeping pace with contemporary artistic expression,” said Cristian Mungiu, according to Jidvei’s press release. More statements from festival participants are available on Instagram at @jidveiromania.
The Culture That Unites
Matei Vișniec, a Romanian-born playwright who now holds a central position in French culture, describes the relationship between the two countries by saying, “Romania gave me roots, France gave me wings,” evoking in some way the destinies of Brâncuși, Cioran, or Eugène Ionesco.
“If art brings us together, then who – or what – drives us apart?” asked Mircea Cantor, one of the visual artists involved in the festival, succinctly capturing the essence of this event: bringing together the voices of a culture in continuous transformation.
Stories Over Wine
Throughout the “Un Week-end à l’Est” festival, a live cultural journal titled Vin la Povești (“Wine & Stories”) is being produced. The team – Sonia Argint (Jidvei brand ambassador), Alexandra Tănăsescu, and Cătălin Striblea – follows Romanian artists through Paris’s established cultural landmarks, from Montparnasse to Hôtel de Ville, visiting reading rooms, bookstores, cafés, and galleries, capturing the artists’ interaction with the public, cultural dialogues, and their unique statements.
You can feel the cultural pulse of the city and discover both the audience’s reception and the dialogue between participants and hosts by watching the recorded broadcasts on the same Instagram page.
Spirit by Jidvei, in the Heart of Paris
Returning to Paris after the recent Radu Jude retrospective and after hosting the Brâncuși exhibition – the last major show at the Pompidou Centre before its long renovation – Jidvei arrived in Paris once again, this time to present the Spirit collection, which accompanied Romanian artists across all festival venues.
“We created Spirit as a reverence to Romania: a collection matured over time, inspired by cultural heritage and crafted with Transylvanian skill. Our presence in Paris, at the most extensive festival dedicated to Romanian culture, is both a joy and a responsibility: we introduce the French public to a different way of understanding Transylvania – through taste, tradition, and refinement,” said Ana Necșulescu, Jidvei’s Communication Director.
The journey of the Spirit collection through Europe, which began in Bucharest at the Monica Lovinescu Gala at the Romanian Athenaeum and continued these days in Paris, will culminate on December 1 at the Rome Opera House, where Spirit becomes the wine celebrating Romania’s National Day – an exceptional encounter between music, diplomacy, and community. Last year, on December 1 as well, Jidvei accompanied Romanian artists on the renowned La Fenice stage in Venice, in a concert that brought George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody before the audience, along with performances by some of Romania’s most acclaimed contemporary voices – Ruxandra Donose, Valentina Naforniță, and Ștefan Pop – conducted by Daniel Jinga.
The First Three Spirit Wines: A Revelation
The Spirit collection from Jidvei was long in the making, as one would expect for a range of wines whose declared purpose is to capture the quintessence of their birthplace.
From the subtly ornamented labels inspired by traditional folk attire to the large 500-liter barrels made from wood sourced from Jidvei’s own forests, every drop carries forward the terroir and history of the place. In a word, its Spirit – in every detail, from the craftsmanship of the people to the conditions of the vintage year.
For now, the collection includes three wines: a Fetească Regală with an elegant and slightly restrained touch of oak to preserve its complex aromas; a Chardonnay more deeply influenced by oak (a natural match for extended barrel maturation); and a joyful, fresh rosé untouched by wood, born from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir grapes.
In the near future, the lineup will be joined by a red wine – an unusual addition for a winery historically dedicated to white wines. However, climate change now allows for new experiments, and Jidvei’s first red wine, Pinot Noir, has already demonstrated this region’s ability to produce memorable reds.
