I had the opportunity this year to visit ExpoVin Moldova 2009 held at the National Exhibition Centre between 18-21 Feb. ExpoVin Moldova is an annual event for the wine industry that is attended by everyone who has or wants to have anything to do with Moldavian wine industry - winemakers, cork producers, packaging and labeling companies etc.

As every other exhibition, ExpoVin Moldova this year didn’t enjoy the usual demand even though the Moldavian politicians strongly argue (elections soon will change that) that Moldova hasn’t been affected by the credit crunch. The real life situation is that the winemakers struggle - a few key players weren’t present, so the show was not what it used to be. Still, the companies that could make it, had beautiful stands as well as a few nice looking … girls… Well, a picture does a thousand words, so enjoy them below:

I did anticipate serious obstacles before starting up… No, put it another way - I didn’t expect anyone with open hands to say - come Vadim, come Cricova - we have been waiting for you so long now! There, the top shelves in our supermarkets are empty and we didnt know what to fill them with

Joking aside, I knew what I am getting myself into… And I knew it wasn’t just me the first to try to establish the Moldavian Wines in the UK. There were attempts to do that since 1992 and for one reason or another, the world still doesn’t know where on earth is Moldova and what kind of wine does it do.

I have been following the scene quite closely since 2001 and I knew when the time is right, I will do it. Actually, while at uni, I took a module called Entrepreneurship and as part of it, we had to write a business plan and present it… Well, believe it or not, my plan was about Cricova wines… Yep and that was over 5 years ago. Ok, I have been busy since then with computers, however I still kept myself up to date as to who does what.

So what do I have so special to make it a success that no one could do it before me?..

Some of you might expect an arrogant answer, but no, it is nothing to do with me, it has to do with the actual product - THE WINE! Before elaborating any further I will give you the quick picture of the Moldavian Wine Market. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s something about Moldova that’s got under my skin, and keeps taking me back there. It’s a small, poverty stricken and not very charismatic country, sandwiched between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the east, with no mountains and the shortest coastline in the world (a few dozen metres on the bank of the Dniester River). It’s quietly pretty in summer with tree-lined boulevards in the capital city, Chisinau, and masses of wild flowers in the countryside (poverty is a great protector of the environment). Few people know where Moldova is, let alone much about its wine or culture, though it’s well worth the voyage of discovery. I’ve been visiting regularly for several years now, fascinated by the unique political and economic challenges faced by its wine industry, as well as the potential for exciting and characterful wines.

Land of the vine

Wine is incredibly important to Moldova and locals like to point out that the shape of their country resembles bunch of grapes, and after glass or several of the local “brew” you start to see what they mean. Viticulture in this part of Europe dates back 4,000 to 5,000 years, and today Moldova has over 100,000 ha under vine for commercial production. This is actually more than better known neighbours like Bulgaria and Hungary. It has a range of local grapes as well as international varieties, though it’s worth noting that these are no modern interlopers, arriving with French settlers in the second half of the nineteenth century. Moldova’s wine regions are on the same latitude as Bordeaux, though as the climate is continental, it is perhaps more similar to Burgundy. This means you can find both Burgundian varieties like Chardonnay and the Pinot family doing well and also Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Moldova is blessed with rich agricultural soils and its gently rolling hills are ideal for grapevines, which are mostly grown between 100 and 300m above sea level. Around a quarter of the population is involved in the wine industry in some way, so the culture of grape growing is deeply embedded in the nation. Read the rest of this entry »