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Sometimes you just need to get on the bus
Not too long ago, at an ATIPIC Meet event, Victor Deleanu talked about local values, about the important things we have close by and pass by so often that we end up completely ignoring them. I think many of us do this with Iași County. With the people. With the places. With the stories.
That's how the idea for an ATIPIC Meet in Cotnari came about.
But the morning didn't start off well. I had trouble waking up, didn't get my coffee, my phone battery was half dead, and I was very close to saying "that's it, I'm driving." Initially, that's how it stayed. It seemed simpler. I leave when I want, arrive when I want, I don't depend on anyone.
Except that the moment I walked out the door, a very simple question hit me: am I going to Cotnari, to the winery, by car, just to drink still water all day?
That doesn't mean still water was missing. On the contrary, Ozana made sure we stayed hydrated throughout the day.
And there was something else. I hadn't ridden a bus since grade school. And if you're going into an experience built around people and connections, maybe the journey itself is part of the experience.
So I got on the bus.
The road to Cotnari looks different when you're not driving
I think one of the things we forget is how different a road looks when you're not focused on driving.
I've made the trip to Cotnari many times by car. But from the bus, everything looked different. You see more. You notice more. You have time to look around and process things you'd normally ignore completely.
Along the way, Andrei Ungureanu and Irina kept the mood going. A question here, a joke there, an invitation to talk to someone new. That kind of energy that gets networking moving without it feeling forced.
And that's exactly what sets the ATIPIC community apart. You don't feel like you're attending an event where you have to "make contacts." You feel like you're in a setting where people genuinely end up talking to each other authentically.
A Visit to Cotnari: More Than Just a Winery
Arriving at Cramele Cotnari, we were greeted by Cornelia Cîtea with a wide smile and that energy specific to people who are genuinely proud of where they work.
After a few minutes, the tour began.
And here I think many people would have an oversimplified picture. You think you'll see some tanks, learn about two or three technical processes, and that's it.
Except the experience at Cotnari is much more than that.
Walking among the massive tanks, toward the area where the grapes arrive for destemming and crushing, you start to see just how much technology, organization, and discipline lie behind a glass of wine. Extremely well-established technical and sanitary processes, bottling lines, logistics, package preparation, workflows that run almost mechanically.
Everything highly technological.
But at the same time, in an interesting balance where automation doesn't erase the human component. On the contrary. You understand that this place continues to support the local community and jobs in the area.
What You Don't See on the Surface at Casa de Vinuri Cotnari
What you see on the surface is only a very small part of the experience.
The moment you go down about 14 meters underground completely changes the atmosphere. Long cellars, impressive galleries, corridors that seem endless, and huge barrels, from 1,000 up to 5,000 liters.
There, you start to feel the place differently.
Not just as a wine factory, but as a space that preserves time, history, and tradition.
After that we went through the wine library, probably one of the most interesting parts of the tour. A long, narrow corridor, full of collector's bottles. Over a million bottles. And the oldest wine dates back to 1956.
At some point you realize that some of the bottles there are older than a lot of businesses, communities, or entire generations of entrepreneurs.
And it somehow shifts your perspective a bit on the idea of long-term building.
Wines, Stories, and the Colocviu Range
After the tour at Cramele Cotnari, we headed to Casa de Vinuri Cotnari and Crama Axinte, where the experience continued.
There we learned more about the wines in the Colocviu range, about the differences between them, how they're crafted, and the identity they try to convey.
We talked about Grasă de Cotnari, about Fetească Neagră, about modern processes like the Charmat Method used for sparkling wines, and about Spumantul ZAZ Cotnari, which takes a different direction — fresher, more current.
I didn't go there with a sommelier mindset, nor with the intention of memorizing every technical detail. I come from the world of marketing, websites, digital infrastructure, and advertising, and maybe that's exactly why the experience was interesting.
For me it wasn't about definitions and processes learned by rote. It was about the atmosphere of the place, the energy of the people, and how they manage to turn wine into an experience and a story.
Sometimes Answers Come on the Road Between Two Wineries
It might sound strange, but between the two locations I also found the answer to an administrative problem that had been bothering me for a while.
This is where I think that hard-to-explain part about communities comes in, and about why it matters to be around the right people.
Sometimes you don't need a consultant. You don't need an official meeting. You just need a 15-minute conversation with someone who sees things differently.
Valentina Vozniuc's insights and perspectives were, as usual, extremely valuable.
And I think that's exactly what makes ATIPIC work so well. You don't leave with just photos and memories. You leave with ideas, connections, and clarity.
ATIPIC Meet at Crama Axinte: Networking Without Rigidity
After the visits, ATIPIC Meet Cotnari #1 officially began.
Each speaker brought a different energy.
Ana Drobot talked about marketing, about returning to Chișinău, and about how she built things differently through Peony Media and her previous experience.
Mădălina Perian brought her perspective on collaboration and team dynamics, and afterward we even played a team game that, surprisingly, showed just how much synchronization and communication between people matter.
Ioan Luca, on the other hand, brought that energy of someone who moves things from "okay" to memorable. At one point he moved the speakers and the mixing console outside, and the social part turned into an outdoor party with an extraordinary vibe.
And Andrei Ungureanu did what he usually does very well — he connected people and kept everything in a natural, relaxed zone.
About Desserts, Atmosphere, and the People Who Raise the Standards
I can't not mention the food & sweets part, because that would be unfair.
The team from Palibo brought an absolutely excellent candy bar. The kind of desserts that disappear instantly and that people are still talking about days after the event.
And Aromat Însiropat, who came all the way from Bacău, brought cakes that confirmed once again what I'd already noticed at another ATIPIC event held there. Their attention to taste and quality is no accident.
What's There to See in Cotnari? More Than Just Wine
If someone had asked me before, 'what's there to see in Cotnari?', I probably would have answered simply: winery, wines, tasting.
After this experience, the answer is much more complex.
In Cotnari you see history. You see technology. You see tradition. You see people who still put passion into what they do. You see what a community built around an authentic Romanian brand looks like.
But, above all, you see how important it sometimes is to step outside your routine.
To leave the car at home.
To get on the bus.
To talk to people.
To listen to stories.
To be present.
And maybe to remember that we have valuable things much closer than we think.
