Delegation of several winemakers from Bulgaria, participants in best practices exchange program organised by the crossborder WINET project, implemented by Agenția de Investiții/Invest Moldova Agency visited Republic of Moldova for the period 20-23 July, 2021.
During the “Innovation in wine growing techniques related to production of high-quality wines” program, the WINET team from Moldova represented by project leader Elena Oleinic, experts Stefan Iamandi and Alina Fortunatova aim to present success stories of Moldovan wineries and offer interesting insights into the local wine sector for the WINET members from Bulgaria.
The first day started with a visit to Château Purcari, where guests had the opportunity to discover beautiful landscapes, vineyards, and, among others, the famous Negru de Purcari wine. Château Purcari continues to be a pleasant oasis on the frontier of Europe. The Château is again known to the whole world for its premium wines, which have received awards and praise from international competitions like Decanter, Challenge International du Vin, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, International Wine and Spirit Competition as well as the legendary patronage of the royal court of Great Britain.
During their tour, they discussed the winemaking methods used, the way production processes are organised, and other topics of interest for the winemakers. Everybody had a chance to admire the Golden Collection included in Guinness World Record reaching approximately 2 million bottles. They also exchanged opinions and ideas regarding the trends in the wine sector and ways to differentiate on the global market.
The day ended pleasantly with a wine tasting guided by a professional sommelier who offered our guests wines produced from indigenous varieties, from PGI regions, which conquered not only the heart of the Moldovan consumers, but also thousands of medals at international wine competitions.
On the second day of the exchange of good practices program within the WINET project, the representatives of the Bulgarian wineries had the opportunity to discover three new wineries.
Bulgarian group visited the experimental plot of Wine of Moldova, situated near the Stăuceni commune. Two of Wine of Moldova projects were presented to the guests: „Best grapes” and „Flave Dor.” This field study allowed winemakers to learn more about innovations in viticultural techniques related to producing high-quality wines, the risks and difficulties of growing bio grapes, and the opportunities that arise with the production of organic wine.
The second destination was the famous underground galleries of Combinatul de Vinuri „CRICOVA” S.A., with a length of 120 km. The representatives from Bulgaria were impressed by the logistics of this unique underground city and the technologies used to produce classic sparkling wine, according to the Champegnoise method. In addition, the winemakers shared opinions on methods of differentiating and positioning sparkling wines on the foreign market and the relevance of replacing the legendary blends with local grapes.
The evening ended with discovering the only urban winery with a complete production cycle, ATU Winery. Although its small production capacity, ATU Winery managed to convince their counterparts in Bulgaria that they could compete with large wineries, producing quality wines from indigenous grape varieties. Hosts and guests exchanged ideas and practices regarding the importance of producing wines from local versus European varieties.
The last day of the exchange program Bulgarian group visited winery MIGDAL-P. The winery possesses not only with modern plant for production of wines and divines, but also with a touristic complex in the style of French Chateau including 4 tasting halls, cellars for wine storing and maturing, as well as a gallery of collection wines.
Wine is at the heart of Moldovan life. Moldova is the number one in the world with the highest density of vineyards per capita, but also concerning the total area of agricultural land.
Moldova is challenging the long-established wineries of the world, pushing and changing the good wine region. This is partly down to the rich soil and the warm humid continental climate that helps create the perfect conditions for growing grape vines. The authenticity and singularity of Moldovan wines is represented by the country’s indigenous varieties which account for 10% of the vineyards, including Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, Feteasca Neagra, Rara Neagra, Plavai and Viorica.
The country has adopted the brand known as “Wine of Moldova” to unite all the wine producers within Republic of Moldova and it has already won its place on the tables and in the hearts of many international wine lovers. The brand is the symbol of the Moldovan wine industry, being supported by many local legends as a symbol of the continuous revival of Moldovan culture.
The overall impression from the best practices exchange program “Innovation in wine growing techniques related to production of high-quality wines” was discovering the distinct and unique character of Moldovan wine, which is a result of the combination between the old wine making traditions, professionalism, innovations, investments, amazing amount of work and something more…
