The problem of wine exports to Russia appeared because of the elections set to take place in Moldova in autumn, Acting President Mihai Ghimpu said during a visit to the Purcari winery in Stefan Voda district on August 20, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ghimpu said he will pay more visits to wineries so as to see what problems they face. “This is my first visit. After I pay several visits, I will state my position on the issue,” Mihai Ghimpu said. The Acting President as well as the director of the Purcari winery Victor Bostan said there is no wine culture in Moldova and it is necessary to increase consumption of Moldovan wines on the home market. “We do not know how to use the domestic market. In most of the states, internal consumption is 70%, while in Romania – even over 90%,” said Mihai Ghimpu. Victor Bostan said he wants the consumption of wines of a high quality to double or even treble in Moldova. He stressed that the consumption of strong alcoholic drinks like vodka is now encouraged because the excise duties on these beverages are low. The director of the Purcari winery also said that about 4 million bottles of wine are sold in Moldova every year. Over 100 million bottles are exported. “We want this ratio to be at least 50:50, but we need the state’s support in this respect,” he stated. The Purcari winery produces about 1 million bottles a year. According to Victor Bostan, most of the company’s wines are exported to Romania, Poland, Germany and the Asian countries. The exports to Russia make up about 30%, as against over 90% before 2006. The problems related to the export of Moldovan wines to Russia appeared in summer after Russia’s food safety body Rospotrebnadzor said the Moldovan wine products do not meet the Russian quality standards.