The Moldovan wines represent now over 100 winemaking and winegrowing companies that employ more than 20,000 persons. The wines are among the most exported three products that represent 5% of the country’s exports. Moldova accounts for 1.8% of the global vineyards area and ranks 19 in the world by the volume of wine production and exports. Moldova is a world leader with the largest density of vineyards per capita and compared with the total areas of farmland.
Moldova exports wine to over 60 countries
The Moldovan wines gradually become an identity and cohesion element, said Andrian Digolean, marketing expert at the National Office of Vine and Wine. The wine represents 3% of the GDP. 15-20 years ago, Moldova had quality wines in homeopathic quantities and the first ban imposed by the Russian Federation in 2006 motivated those from the field to gradually align themselves with the large world producers. Besides the ban, Moldova didn’t know the meaning of “market diversification”, but now exports almost 60 million bottles of wine a year to over 60 countries. These are high-quality wines that express the authenticity and distinctiveness of the region and cannot be reproduced anywhere and by anyone. In 2019 alone, the Moldovan wines won over 700 medals at 19 international contests.
About 33 million wine bottles are annually consumed worldwide. Competition is harsh and the producers need to find their way to persuade the consumers to choose the wine from among the thousands of labels in the large shop chains. Drinking a glass of wine when having a meal means having more controlled contact with the alcohol, unlike the alcoholic drinks and beer. The National Office of Vine and Wine was created to assume this intermediary role and, together with producers, to exploit the national treasure – “Moldovan Wine. A Living Legend”, stated Andrian Digolean.
From quantity to quality
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The Moldovan wines are the product of work in the winemaking and winegrowing sector. The tendency during the last few years changed from wines exported unbottled in large quantities to bottled wine of a high quality. “The change was radical – from Soviet Moldovan wine to wine of international make that can compete directly with any wine product at international level,” stated Mihai Druță, president of the Sommelier Association of Moldova.
The color, aroma and taste of the wine changed. They now use the most modern technologies and new procedures. Emphasis is laid on quality, starting with the grapes and ending with the certification standards. Mihai Druță said that to achieve sustainable results, long-term and quality promotion is needed. A culture of wine that combines several areas – tourism, culture, economy and others - should be promoted.
The current image of the Moldovan wine is due to the effort of those who work in the field. The effort wasn’t useless and the results are worth the effort. “More can be surely done for the wine industry to be more attractive, but this can be achieved only by unity. Moldova’s wine was and is a symbol of the country, a benchmark and we can become the ambassadors of this symbol of our country,” noted Mihai Druță.
Moldova had 200 medals in 2016 and 780 in 2019
Diana Lazăr, vice director of the Moldova Competitiveness Project and a member of the working group for the reform of the wine industry, said the Moldovan wines represent the value with which the winemaking and winegrowing sector aligns itself. It is about the quality, the century-old heritage and aspirations for a prosperous future that would be promoted by the future generations with pride, dignity and respect. The wine industry in Moldova suffered many shocks that seriously affected the economic balance of the branch, especially the bans imposed by Russia in 2006 and 2013.
Then, the Moldovan winemakers realized how important was then to reorient to new markets and new quality segments. The attempts helped diversify the wine brands on the domestic and foreign markets during the past five years. There were launched the first wines with protected geographical indication.
In 2016, Moldova won almost 200 medals, while in 2019 we already have 780 medals and over one third of them are gold and silver ones. This is due to the high quality of the wines, diversity of styles and innovations in production. Diana Lazăr said a lot is invested in the registration of samples of wines at international contests. One fourth of these medals belong to wineries that switch over from mass production to high-quality production and to small winemakers.
With a winemaking and winegrowing history of over 6,000 years, Moldova is not yet well-known globally and its image is still affected by the bans on the export to the CIS markets. The building of the image of a nation of high-quality, unique and different wines is a big challenge for Moldova, which depends so much on the export of wine, which can conquer new generations of consumers. The success of the wine industry is growing and this is mainly due to the winemakers and winegrowers that endeavored to reform themselves and to consolidate around a common idea and a common goal to revitalize this strategic sector of Moldova.
Maria Procopciuc, IPN
