How Casa 123 and Simon Newman Revived a Village’s Heritage**
Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Transylvania, the village of Richiș holds stories that rarely make it into history books—but live on in the stones, the vineyards, and the memories of its people. One such story begins inside an unassuming Saxon house: Casa 123, today known as The Inn at Richiș.
While guests now come for rest, romance, and the quiet magic of the countryside, few know that over a century ago, Casa 123 played a vital role in reviving an entire region’s winemaking tradition. And at the heart of that revival was a determined, meticulous Saxon vintner named Simon Newman.
A Crisis Sweeps Through Europe
In the late 19th century, Europe’s vineyards were facing a disaster unlike anything seen before. Phylloxera, a tiny insect introduced from North America, began attacking grapevine roots across the continent. By the 1880s, Romania—long known for its rich, diverse wines—began to feel the full force of the destruction.
Villages like Richiș, with centuries-old winemaking traditions, saw their vineyards wither. Families who depended on wine production were left unsure of how to rebuild.
But where many saw an ending, Simon Newman saw a beginning.
The Visionary of Casa 123
Born into a respected Saxon family, Simon Newman (Simion Neman in local records) was known in Richiș not only as a winemaker, but as something of a scholar. He kept notebooks filled with sketches of vine structures, grafting methods he had learned from traveling merchants, and observations from neighboring wine regions.
Simon was practical, intelligent, and—above all—deeply committed to preserving the land and traditions he had inherited.
When phylloxera reached the villages surrounding Richiș, Simon recognized the danger earlier than most. By 1887 he was already experimenting with grafting European varietals onto American rootstock, a technique gaining recognition in France and Austria at the time.
But he knew that one man could not save the vineyards alone. The future depended on the next generation.
And so, he made a decision that changed the course of Richiș’s history.
Casa 123 Becomes a Wine School
In 1890, Simon transformed the ground floor of Casa 123 into what the villagers would later call “școala de vin a lui Neman”—Neman’s Wine School.
What had been a family home became a place of learning:
• Long wooden tables where students practiced grafting techniques
• Barrels cut open to study root structures
• Garden plots behind the house filled with experimental vines
• Shelves lined with tools—knives, wax, twine, and Simon’s own illustrated guides
Young men from Richiș, Biertan, Moșna, and Copșa Mare traveled to Casa 123 to study under Simon. Some had lost every vine on their small plots. Others came because their families believed that reviving the vineyards was the only way to secure a future for the community.
Simon taught them three principles that would shape the rebirth of winemaking in the region:
1. Grafting: The Secret to Survival
Simon’s students learned how to pair European varietals with hardy, phylloxera-resistant American rootstock. It was delicate work—precise cuts, perfect alignment, steady hands. Under Simon’s guidance, Richiș became one of the first villages in the area to systematically replant grafted vines.
2. Pruning: The Art Behind the Science
To Simon, pruning was not just a technique—it was philosophy.
“The vine,” he said, “grows wild unless you teach it discipline.”
Students practiced shaping vines for strength, longevity, and flavor. This alone dramatically improved the quality and consistency of local wine.
3. Community Knowledge Over Individual Secrets
In an era when craftsmen often guarded their techniques, Simon believed knowledge must be shared to be preserved. His open-teaching approach allowed entire villages—not just a single family—to recover after the epidemic.
A Legacy Rooted in Resilience
By the time Simon passed away in the early 1900s, Richiș’s vineyards had begun thriving once more. His students became the new backbone of the local wine trade—farmers, cellar masters, merchants, and teachers who carried his methods forward for decades.
And Casa 123?
Its walls absorbed the voices of apprentices, the smell of fresh cut vines, the hope of a community rebuilding itself.
Today, more than 130 years later, Casa 123—now The Inn at Richiș—still carries that quiet legacy.
Guests enjoy wine on the terrace not knowing they stand where Simon once tested new vines. They sleep in rooms where young vintners learned to save their future. They walk through a house that helped restore a centuries-old tradition.
It is more than just an inn.
It is the home of a rebirth—one that ensured that in Transylvania, wine would continue to be a way of life.
As Simon wrote near the end of his life:
“Wine is not only what we drink. It is what binds generations together. If we care for the vineyard, it will care for our children’s children.”
His words proved true.
And in Richiș—“Transylvania is a way of life.”®