Moldova: The tiny wine region is making inroads west

March 04, 2010

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By Helena Baker

Totally landlocked and largely dependent on agriculture, Moldova is one of the poorer, if not the poorest, countries in Europe. Despite its economic woes, the country's picturesque countryside and colorfully painted houses charm visitors, just as its wines do.

Moldova has a fine vinous tradition stretching back into prehistory. In fact, on the map, Moldova looks like a bunch of grapes squeezed between Ukraine and Romania. And one of its national symbols and trademarks is a bunch of grapes being carried by a flying stork. According to legend, storks helped feed the besieged Moldovans in the fortress at Soroca during a war with the Turks by bringing them grapes.

This tiny nation has been swept back and forth by the tides of history, often disappearing altogether at the whim of greater powers. The Romans knew the region as Dacia. A century ago, it was Bessarabia, which had the largest area under vine in the old Czarist Empire. After several other turns of fate, it was subsumed into the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, from whose depths it only emerged as a sovereign state in 1992.

In the 19th century, many European, mainly French, grape varieties were introduced, which is an advantage, since these are exactly the grapes the world now craves: Sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and merlot have become the mainstay of local production. Native grapes have nevertheless begun to show great potential when vinified to produce premium wines by the new generation of winemakers.

Whites include Feteasca Alba and Feteasca Regala. Reds like Feteasca Neagra and Rara Neagra are even more promising, the latter only growing around the southern town of Purcari and used for the famous Negru de Purcari wines. In 1878, this wine won the gold medal at the prestigious Paris Exhibition. It was also regularly on the tables of Russian Emperor Nicholas II and Queen Victoria of England.

Strangely enough, locals drink little of these wines, preferring vodka. Most store offerings come from curious if interesting hybrids such as Isabella and Lidia, wines with a taste strongly reminiscent of wild strawberries.

Moldova has traditionally exported nearly all of its production to Russia, in the form of sweet or semi-sweet products. So it came as a huge blow when, in 2006, as the result of a political spat, Russia banned Moldovan and Georgian wines, killing off this trade at a stroke, leading to an immediate loss of more than 80 million euros. Wineries had unsold stocks so huge they could not move forward, and bankruptcies followed.

The crisis did have the effect of galvanizing the industry. In 2007, seven of the most important modern wineries formed the Moldova Wine Guild, casting themselves as pioneers of the way ahead. Names such as Chateau Vartely, Lion Gri, Acorex and Dionysos-Mereni are making inroads into Western markets. Initiatives like USAID aimed at bringing winemaking and marketing up to scratch have also been under way for some time.

While the way ahead remains tough, it is also full of positives. The newly established Moldovan Small Wine Producers Association, led by the French/Australian trained Costia Stratan, shows promise with labels such as Equinox, Et Cetera or Mezalimpe, which are sure to captivate the discerning wine lover from the West.

So, as Moldovans say when toasting with wine, "Noroc!"

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