Eye Openers to the Wines of Moldova #WorldWineTravel

I recently tried my first wines from Moldova back in July of this year.  I was excited to get a second opportunity to taste more when our newly established group of familiar faces at #WorldWineTravel will be venturing off to explore wine from all over the world.  I have a feeling there will many more firsts to come for myself and I look forward to taking you with me on this journey.  

If you're like I was a couple months ago you may have been scratching your head wondering where exactly Moldova is.  It is after all the smallest country in Europe so it's no surprise that you probably can't pinpoint it's location.  It's landlocked in South Eastern Europe between Romania and the Ukraine with close proximity to the Black Sea.

It's a wonder many of us aren't familiar with wines from Moldova as their wine history dates as far back as 3000 B.C. The Republic of Moldova actually has the highest density of vineyards in the world.  Seventy three percent of the wine produced in Moldova are from international grapes like the Bordeaux blend I'm sharing below from Purcari, but they do produce about 10% of their own indigenous grapes that you will see later like Viorico and Feteasca Alba.  

Moldova continues to invest in its wine industry so it will be interesting to continue to watch them develop.  In 2018 they received a large investment of $20 million to put towards vineyard plantings, modernizing their wineries and for market development.  Let's see what the future holds for Moldova, but so far the wines have been eye opening for myself.

The Wines

2015 Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari - A Bordeaux blend made of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 15% Malbec.  This winery has a long history established in 1827.  Their wines have been served to the Royal Courts of Europe for 150+ years.  The grapes are hand harvested and this wine spends 18 months in French oak.  Deep ruby in color with garnet hues.  The nose is rich in prunes and blueberries with vanilla nuances.  A full-bodied wine with good acidity, juicy blackberries and blueberries with a velvety finish.  ABV 13.5% SRP $40

I paired the Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari with beef pot pie.  I had actually never prepared a pot pie with beef and had always used chicken.  This was a nice change with some added diced up celery and carrots.   During the height of the COVID pandemic we bought a 1/4 of a cow from a local farm and had lots of stewed meat so it was the perfect choice for this wine.  The Radacini I had tried in July and you can read from my previous post.

2018 Castel Mimi Feteasca Alba - Feteasca Alba is an indigenous grape to Moldova.  This wine is from the Codru appellation.  Pale straw colored in the glass with mostly citrus notes on the nose.  This wine is light, crisp and refreshing with mostly citrus and a hint of peach.  ABV 13% SRP $19

2018 Suvorov Viorica -  Suvorov was established in 1998 and the winery is named after a historical monument, the hill of Suvorov, from the Russo Turkish War.  This wine is made of 100% Viorica in the Stefan Voda appellation.  Viorica is a popular female name.  These grapes are also hand harvested.  Pale straw in color with a very aromatic nose, florally with notes of peach and a little grassiness.  Very light in body with a refreshing acidity and peach lingering on the palette.  ABV 13% SRP $18    

I paired both of these indigenous whites of Moldova with lobster ravioli with some added shrimp.  Both served as a nice compliment to the dish and I kept the sauce simple with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and butter.  

Join my fellow food and wine lovers as they deepen your discovery into the wines of Moldova.  We will be chatting live this Sunday at 11am EST on Twitter at #WorldWineTravel.  Please join in!  This weekend Moldova is also hosting their 18th National Wine Day October 3rd and 4thth at their capital in Chisinau.  It's an opportunity to taste wines from over 60 producers and learn more about the culture and traditions of Moldova.  Although many of us are still not traveling it may be something to keep in mind for future years, but they are also hosting virtual events if you can't make it in person. 

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Two Indigenous Moldovan Grapes – Fetească Albă and Fetească Neagră – Paired With Colțunași Harnici (Hard-Working Dumplings)” 
• Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm is “Celebrating the Food and Wine of Moldova” 
• David from CookingChat has “Food Pairings for Moldavan Wines” 
• Lori from Exploring the Wine Glass shares “Sitting Down with Master of Wine Caroline Gilby to Discuss Moldovan Wine” 
• Terri from Our Good Life shares “Moldova Wine Day Celebration!” 
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass is “Celebrating ‘My Wine Day’ and the little country that could” 
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles shares “Moldovan Wine – moving forward while not losing track of the authentic grapes of their past” #WorldWineTravel 
• Susannah from Avvinare writes “You say Feteasca and I’ll Say Moldova” 
• Melanie from Wining With Mel is “Exploring new territory with Moldovan wines” 
• Jeff from foodwineclick asks the question “Are Local Grapes the Future of Moldovan Wines?” 
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Moldovan Native Wine Grape Discoveries” #WorldWineTravel 
• Jill from L’Occasion discusses “Wines of Moldova: Worth the Adventure” 
• Payal from Keep the Peas pairs “Kashmiri Yakhni Pulao and Moldovan Wine” 
• Nicole from Somms Table is “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with More Food and Wine Explorations” 
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Celebrate Moldova National Wine Day – Exploring Native Varieties” 
•  Liz Barrett from What’s In That Bottle shares “Moldova National Wine Day is Here!” 
• Pinny from Chinese Food And Wine Pairings tells us about “Celebrating Moldova National Wine Day with Chinese Food” 
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator shares "Meet Moldova: 2018 Purcari 1827 Rara Negra de Purcari Vin Sec Rosu Paired with Pizza #WorldWineTravel " 
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen tells us about "Meatless Moldovan Food and Wine" #WorldWineTravel

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A Look into the Wines of Moldova

This month’s focus for our Wine Pairing Weekend event takes us to Moldova.  Sadly I had to look up where Moldova was located.  I knew it was somewhere in Eastern Europe and discovered it is located between Romania and the Ukraine, right off of the Black Sea.  Wine really is made everywhere isn’t it.  What was even more shocking is that this was even my first time trying wine from Moldova.  The first record of winemaking there was 3,000 B.C., but since 7000 B.C. wine was used as a reward after fights or exchanged with other items. 

The majority of the wine produced in Moldova is still with about 14% produced as sparkling.  White wines rule the majority at about 70% mostly concentrated in the wine region of Codru.  The rest are red wines that can be found in both central and southern Moldova.  The vitis vinifera vines rule the production with only about 10% being native grapes. 

Moldova has 3 main wine regions including:

• Valul lui Traian (SouthWest)
• Codru (Central) 

• Stefan Voda (SouthEast)
  

I learned lots of fun facts in my research including that Moldova holds the Guiness record in 2005 for hosting the biggest wine collection, known as the “Golden Collection”.  It is located underground in the Milestii Mici containing 1.5 million bottles with the oldest only being since 1969.  Moldova also has the greatest density of vineyards in the world occupying 3.8% of the territory per Wines of Moldova.

Copyright of Wines of Moldova

The Wines & Wineries 

I received samples from 3 wineries including some local grapes as well as international grapes.   

Chateau Vartely – Vartely translates to a place of fortress.  The winery is rather newer to the seen established in 2004 located within both the Codru wine region and Valul lui Traian in the Bugeac in southern Maldova.  Their grapes are grown on about 740 acres.  The winery opened themselves up to guests in 2008 at a few villas they have on site. 

I tasted the 2017 Chateau Vartely Feteasca Regala Codru IGP.  Made 100% from the local Feteasca Regala grape.  Straw yellow in color.  Beautiful aromatics of peach and apricots.  A refreshing wine with nice acidity and slight minerality.  With an SRP of $16 this wine is a great value.  13% ABV  

Pairing: I paired this wine with a chicken and broccoli sauté over jasmine rice.  A delightful pairing and complement to one another.

Radicini Winery – This winery is one of the brands under an overarching holding company located in the Codru wine region.  I tasted the 2018 Radicini blend of Saperavi, Merlot and Feteasca Neagra.  Dark ruby with purple highlights.  Medium in body with dense fruit with blackberries and black cherry.  Hints of white pepper with spice.  SRP $20

Gitana Winery – Located within the Valul lui Traian wine region in the two villages of Filipeni and Romanovca of the Leova district.  The Dulgher family purchased the winery in 1999, but the original winery under the name of the Tiganca Winery was established in 1953.  The Gitana brand was created in 2009.  In 2002 the family planted their own vineyards 70km from the Tiganca Winery on hills about 150-200 meters above sea level near the forest.  The family owns almost 900 acres.  I sampled the 2016 Gitana Lupi Rezerva Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Saperavi.  This wine was the first blend created in 2012.  Aged for 2 years in big Slavonian oak barrels and an additional 4-6 months in barrique.  Dark ruby in color with aromas of ripe raspberries both on the nose and palette.  I got a little bit of warmth from the higher alcohol.  Supple, silky tannins with sweet vanilla from the oak on the finish.  SRP $35 ABV 14.5% 

Pairing: I paired both of these reds with grilled steak tips, roasted potatoes, butternut squash with a side salad.  My personal preference was the Gitana Lupi.  I felt the flavors were more layered and concentrated, which I appreciated with the flavors of the steak.   

Don't stop learning about wines from Moldova.  Chat with the rest of my food and wine loving friends live on Twitter at 11am EST Saturday with #WinePW.  Read their fantastic blogs below.  Enjoy!

• Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “Cooking Out with Moldovan Wine” 
• Liz at What’s in that Bottle shares “Moldova Mashup: Wines of Moldova & Foods of the World“ 
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Special Celebration and Moldova Wines” 
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Smoked Pot Roast with a Negru de Purcari from Moldova”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Ground Beef Chili with Red Wine from Moldova” 
• Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Pairing Moldovan Wine with Burmese Cuisine” 
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Finally, a grill! Just in time for Moldovan wine pairing” 
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Maidens from Moldova + Summer Suppers” 
• Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Savory Cheese Crostata Paired with Moldovan Wines” 
• Michelle at Rockin Red Blog shares “Discovering Wines of Moldova.” 
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Have You Tasted Wines from Moldova? Try These!” 
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Uncorking Moldova – Three Wines To Try Now” 
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares “Getting To Know the Wines of Moldova” 
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “Tasty Moldovan Food & Wine Explorations” 
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Moldova: Bubbles, Red Blend, and …Pizza? Yes!” 
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Moldovan Wines and Korean Sushi – Kimbap” 
• Susannah of Aavinare is sharing "Moldova - An Ancient Country with Beautiful Wines to Discover.” 
• Jill of L'OCCASION shares "A First Taste of Molodova Wines".
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Cabin Pairings for Moldovan Wines”

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are all my own.