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Moldova has a well established wine industry. It has a vineyard area of 147,000 hectares (360,000 acres).^[1], of which 102,500 ha (253,000 acres) are used for commercial production. Most of the country's wine production is for export. Many families have their own recipes and strands of grapes that have been passed down through the generations.

History

Milestii Mici - the world's biggest wine cellars

Fossils of Vitis teutonica vine leaves near the Naslavcia village in the north of Moldova indicate that grapes grew here approximately 6 to 25 million years ago. The size of grape seed imprints found near the Varvarovca village, which date back to 2800 BC, prove that at that time the grapes were already being cultivated. The grapegrowing and winemaking in the area between the Nistru and Prut rivers, which began 4000-5000 years ago, had periods of rises and falls but has survived through all the changing social and economic conditions.

By end of the 3rd century BC, trading links were established between the local population and the Greeks and from 107 AD with the Romans, a fact which strongly influenced the intense development of the grapegrowing and winemaking.

After the formation of the Moldovan feudal state in the 14th century, the grapegrowing began to develop and flourished in the 15th century during the kingdom of Stephen the Great, who promoted the import of planting material of high quality varieties and the improvement of the quality of wine, which was one of the chief exports of Moldova throughout the medieval period, especially to Poland, Ukraine and Russia.

During the 300 years of Ottoman rule, Moldova saw a big decline in grapegrowing, as winemaking was forbidden by law. After the Treaty of Bucharest 1812, when the region became a province of the Russian Empire, the wine industry flourished again. The main varieties were the traditional ones: Rara Neagră, Plavai, Galbena, Zghiharda, Batuta Neagră, Fetească albă, Feteasca Neagră, Tămâioasa, Cabasia and many others of local, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Greek, and Turkish varieties. In this period, the grape growers gained governmental support and by 1837 the vineyard area in Bessarabia (the territory of today’s Moldova plus the Black Sea coast) has reached 14,000 hectares, and the wine production has reached 12 million litres .

Most of the vineyards in Moldova are located on south facing slopes

The second half of the 19th century has seen an intensive planting of newly introduced French varieties, such as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Aligote, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay, Muscat Blanc. It was at this time that wines like Negru de Purcari and Romanesti, which have made Moldova famous as a fine wine producer, began to be produced.

After the phylloxera damage at the end of the 19th century, it was only in 1906 that the vineyards began to recover with grafted planting material. By 1914 Bessarabia had the biggest vineyard area in the Russian Empire.

Both World Wars had damaged the Moldovan vineyards and the wine industry considerably. The re-establishment of Moldovan vineyards began during Soviet years, in the 50’s. Over 150,000 hectares were planted in 10 years, and by 1960 the total vineyard area had reached 220,000 hectares.

In 2006, a diplomatic conflict with Russia resulted in the 2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines, damaging the wine industry of Moldova considerably, as Russia remains the largest importer of Moldovan wines by far.

Geography

A couple of Moldovan wine bottles from cellars

The Republic of Moldova has 130,000 acres (530 km²) of vineyards, of which 120,000 are fertile. More than 90% are in private ownership. The annual crop of grapes is about 400-500 tons.

Wine producers

Main article: Moldovan wine producers

Moldova was one of the first countries that launched the production of red sparkling wines. Currently this drink has got muscatel and rose petal aroma, competing successfully on the world market.

There are 142 processing grapes enterprises in Moldova; mostly they are limited partnerships. The wine industry processes about 400 thousand tones of grapes each year. Today, there are 75 bottling lines at 63 enterprises. Moldova also has bottling units in 4 cities of Russia and 3 cities of Ukraine.

The most famous producers are:

• Cricova
• Vinaria Purcari
• Milestii Mici
• Acorex Wine Holding
• Dionis Club
• Dionysos Mereni
• Chateau Vartely
• Lion Gri
• Salcuta
• Kvint - wine and brandy;

(see the main article for a more detailed list)

Wine growing regions in Moldova

In Moldova four regions for wine growing are to be found:

• Balti (northern zone)
• Codru (central zone)
• Nistreana (south-eastern zone) which includes the famous Purcari region.
• Cahul (southern zone)

The most important region - the Southern area - is suitable for red sweet and semi-sweet wines. White wines have a high content of alcohol. Micro-regions like Taraclia, Ciumai, Comrat, Ceadir-Lunga, Baurci, Cazaiac, Tomai, Cimislia etc. are also in the southern region.

• - Video made by a Company called Wines of Moldova with great information about wine growing in Moldova

Grape varieties

Pinot Noir grows well on the Moldovan hills

Moldovan viticulture is characterized by a large variety of grapes, 70% of which are from Europe.

See bellow the structure of vineyards by their varieties^[2]:

The most popular white varieties are Aligote, Muscat (blanc, Ottonel), Pinot (blanc, gris), Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Feteasca (Leanca), Traminer (blanc, rose), Riesling (Italian, of Rhine), and Silvaner.

Red varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Malbec.

Local varieties

Rara Neagra grapes in a Purcari region vineyard

Only a few local varieties can still be found in Moldova today:

• Plavay: Popular in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. Now very rare;
• Fetească albă: White indigenous white variety. Makes crisp, fresh white wines with fine floral aromas;
• Fetească neagră: Red grape variety;
• Fetească regală: White. A natural cross between Fetească albă and Furmint;
• Rara neagră: Used mostly for blending with other varieties, e.g. the famous Negru de Purcari. Responsible for the fame of the Purcari wines in the 18th century, before Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced. Total area planted - 170 hectares mostly in the Purcari region. Makes dark colored, full bodied red wines with fine red fruit aromas.

Introduced varieties

White varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Traminer, Muscat, Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Rkatsiteli.

Red varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Saperavi, Gamay.

In 2006, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot were conditionally registered for trial.

Divin

Divin - represents the name, patented in the Republic of Moldova, of the country's brandy, produced in conformity with the classic technology of cognac production.

Cellars

The Moldovan wine collection "Mileştii Mici", with 1.5 million bottles, is the largest wine collection in Europe, according to the Guinness Book. It stretches for 200 km, of which only 50 km are currently in use.

See also

• Moldovan wine producers

References

1. ↑ source Deutsches Weininstitut, Statistik 2008/2009, (PDF file) Mainz, 2008
2. ↑ Grape sorts cultivated

1. ЭНЦИКЛОПЕДИЯ Виноградарства, Кишинёв, Главная редакция Молдавской Советской Энциклопедии, 1986

External links

• www.vinmoldova.md - All about Moldavian wines;
• www.vinclub.md - the site of the only Moldovan wine magazine - VINCLUB;
• www.winemoldova.com - contains information on Moldovan wineries, the history of winemaking in Moldova, wine industry news and some outdated statistics.
• Moldovan wine industry review
• - Information about Moldova, Milestii Mici, and exclusive Moldovan Wines imported to the United States.