The Oenology Department of the Technical University of Moldova was outfitted with last-generation equipment that will allow improving the training of the future winemakers. The labs where the students will be taught were renovated, IPN reports.

Attending the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca said a developed wine industry cannot exist without educational basis. “The winemaking and winegrowing sector is a strategic one for our country and we will continue to support it. We speak about an important sector of the national economy, which employs over 200,000 people directly or indirectly. The wine products represent about one fourth of our exports. These figures oblige us to increase the quality of the wines, to apply modern methods in the technological process and to train specialists who can develop the industry,” stated the Premier.

The new oenology research center was outfitted with equipment to the value of €200,000 that is unique in Moldova. It helps detect micro-toxins in wines and determine the intensity of the color and the content of ammonia. The opening of the center forms part of the program “Wine Channel” that is financed by the European Investment Bank. The investments came to almost €2.7 million.