VITeff Veille

Moldavia

Moldavian vineyards

147,000 hectares.
The centre of the country (Codru) encompasses 60 % of vineyards. The main wine producers are established there.
The southwest (Nistreana) is known for its Purcari red wines. There is a great variety of types of vine. 25 % of grapes are grown for the production of sparkling wines. _ The estimated total production of wine in 2005 came to 2,405,000 hl. Wine exports
Large exporting country. Wines represents 25 % of all Moldavian exports and 9 % of the GNP.
90 % of production is exported to over 30 countries. Exports in particular to the IEC countries

Sparkling wines:

15,990 m bottles in 2005. Two types of sparkling wine are produced: wine according to the traditional method and those produced by the addition of carbonic gas.
Only Cricova uses the traditional closed vat production method. _
Producers are becoming increasingly interested in this technique.
The majority of sparkling wines are exported.
The vine types used for sparkling wines are: chardonnay, sauvignon, pinot, muscat, traminer + local varieties such as Aligoté and Fetiaska. A promising sector for sparkling wines.
Asconi, the top producer of wines and spirits in Moldavia, will be launching production of sparkling wines. The Moldavian company is expecting to market up to 1 million bottles in 2004.
Sparkling wine brands such as Moldova, Chisinau, Cricova, Sparkling Muscat and National Nisporeni have received numerous international prizes.

Development

A development programme for vine-wine production has been in place since 2002 and aims at encouraging vine plantation and increasing wine production. _ Increasingly frequent purchases of foreign vines (including French ones).
New legislation on wine and viticulture entail greater restrictions in order to guarantee product quality and make sure that documents are brought into line with EU criteria.
Companies are exchanging their old equipment for better-quality and greater variety: development of new product types, use of foreign technology, etc.
Cooperation with foreign companies, particularly in the production of sparkling wines. _
N.B: Since 1 April 2006, Russia has been imposing a boycott on Moldavian wines (Moldavia sold between 70 % and 90 % of its wine to Russia, i.e. approximately 280 million bottles as well as wine in bulk). _ This led to the closure of cellars and redundancies.
Unlike European vineyards, the Moldavian ones are not entitled to subsidies either for distilling or vine lifting. Since the end of November 2006, the Russian President has removed the embargo from Moldavian wines and brandies. Exports of Moldavian wines to Russia are under the control of the Moldava Wine Agency, which must ensure that the wine exported complies with international standards in terms of both hygiene and technical equipment.

Languages used: Russian, Romanian, English, French.

Source: Kiev Economic Mission - February 2006