Winemaking companies, craftsmen and folklore groups have come together for the 12th National Wine Day that this year is held in the Great National Assembly Square. The event was opened by senior state officials and guests of honor – President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze. The holiday will last for two days and the visitors will be able to taste and buy wine and to see the exhibition stands, IPN reports.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said the making of wine and cultivation of grapes are century-old occupations in Moldova. ”Today our wine is the most competitive agri-food product and the most exported product. It makes Moldova known all over the world, on all the continents,” he stated.

President Nicolae Timofti said that Moldova is known as a country making wine of a high quality. “We will continue to develop this sector of the national economy so that we reach the highest quality level. I’m sure that no ban and no embargo will stop us from making wine of a high quality,” he said.

Prime Minister Iurie Leanca urged the guests to taste the wine that is the most important treasure of Moldova. “The current year is not at all simple. It is a difficult one, including for the wine industry, but the Government made everything possible to strengthen our image of country producing wine of a high quality,” he said, urging the visitors to taste wine, but within reasonable limits.

The Estonian president said that the tradition to cultivate grapes and to wait for them to get ripe for making wine defines the European culture and values. “That’s why when I come to Chisinau I feel like at home,” stated Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

The National Wine Day holiday will close on October 6, when the guests will be able to take part in contests, to visit exhibitions of handicrafts and to taste wine.