Before the Easter holidays, the wine complex Cricova S.A. held a religious ceremony to have its paschal wine Cahor blessed. The service was officiated by Metropolitan Bishop of Chisinau and All Moldova Vladimir together with a group of priests, IPN reports, quoting a communiqué from the company.

“Every year before Easter, at the invitation of the director general of the wine complex Cricova, we come to say prayers on the Holy Week and to bless the paschal wine that will be drunk by the Christians on Easter. The bread and wine must be obligatorily present on tables on Easter,” said His Holiness Vladimir.

The event took place in the renovated production section of Cricova S.A., where a modern bottling line was set up at a cost of 75 million lei, with the assistance of the Wine Sector Restructuring Program and with the money of the European Investment Bank.

“A new production section was opened today. It is one of the most modern in the region. Cricova is proud of this project. We hope that the blessed wine will delight the parishioners. We want peace and welfare in the country,” said the complex’s director general Valentin Bodiul.

According to him, Cahor is a quality desert wine produced from red sorts of grape according to the classic technology, mainly from Cabernet-Sauvignon that are grown on the own vineries of the company. Initially, Cahor was a wine for royal courts and churches. Thus, for many Orthodox Christians Cahor has a profoundly religious meaning, being used for various church rituals. The bottles of Cahor will be sold accompanied by a small icon and will be available from all the shops of the country.