Gone are the days when Warsaw’s urban landscape garnered the
aesthetic appeal of a shot of vodka on a bare plastic table. Thanks to a
two-decade-old frenetic construction boom, Poland’s capital has gone
from an architectural wasteland to the propitious showpiece of the “New
Europe”.

While a sagging global economy may well impact future projects, the
recent years of relative fast growth have already left an imprint on the
Polish capital.

In the years after World War II, when nearly 90 percent of the
Warsaw’s western end was reduced to rubble, the city was rebuilt to
model a centralized Soviet scheme. Apart from the meticulously
reconstructed Old Town, the communist-style city planning resulted in a
host of somber block-shaped housing structures, the piece de résistance
being the monolithic cake-shaped Palace of Culture and Science, which
still serves as the city’s oddly anachronistic centerpiece.

But rapid economic growth following the systemic changes resulted in a
demand for debonair design that over the past decade triggered an
exciting explosion of new-age structures.

And the world noticed, with tourism being a key beneficiary of the
newly-styled Polish capital. Warsaw Tourist Office and Ipsos figures
reveal the Polish capital registering an all-time high of 9 million
tourist arrivals in 2008, of which 3.5 million were foreign visitors.
This marks a jump of nearly 50 percent in foreign arrivals since
Poland’s integration with the European community four years ago.

Escalating tourist numbers and a new architectural look for the
Polish capital are just the start. An intense construction drive and the
fine-tuning of business tourism infrastructure will keep up the pace of
expansion as this country prepares to co-host the prestigious UEFA euro
soccer championship in 2012. With a state-of-the-art football stadium
and a spate of new towers and residential structures, Warsaw continues
to polish up its image in the eyes of Europe.

Warsaw’s swelling cityscape now boasts a host of sleek skyscrapers,
several high-rise commercial buildings, and a forest of visually
pleasing commercial sites and culinary establishments.

The sea change in Warsaw’s urban fabric began at the cusp of the new
millennium with the completion of the 42-storey Warsaw Trade Tower,
commissioned by Korea’s Daewoo Corporation. Completed in 2000, the
164-meter-high mixed-used tower enjoys the distinction of being the
city’s second tallest building, usurped only by the landmark dubbed
Stalin’s Rocket, another name for the massive Palace of Culture.

Next on the list of high-rise buildings was the InterContinental
Warsaw hotel, erected in 2003 by Austrian developer Warimpex on the
plans of local architect Tadeusz Spychala. Quickly following suit and
also a five-star hotel was the Westin Warsaw, a 20-floor pink brick and
glass edifice with 361 rooms. The Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre, a
glazed 50-million euro complex was finished in 2007, boasting 330 guest
rooms and some two dozen conference facilities, a casino and the city’s
largest fitness and spa center.

Poland’s largest metropolis also saw the development of
state-of-the-art shopping centers and high-concept business buildings
with less cloud-reaching ambitions, but equal architectural pizzazz.
Leading the pack is the ellipsoid-shaped Metropolitan building, standing
at the northern edge of the historic Pilsudskiego Square, the royal
Saxon Gardens and the National Opera House. 

“The aim was to create a thoroughly modern counterpart to the
neighboring historical buildings - matching their height, massing and
materials - without resorting to pastiche,” reads the master plan for
the imposing seven-storey structure that was drawn up by award-winning
British architect Sir Norman Foster and his London-based design firm
Foster and Partners.

Foster partnered with Polish JEMS Architekci, and after long-drawn
negotiations with historians and conservation specialists, the 80
million euro structure was financed by Hines Polska and the Emerging
Market Fund, and was completed in 2003. The result is a bold
architectural statement linking three buildings with a 50-meter diameter
circular courtyard that delivers a jolt of new-age chic with its
glass-and-concrete exterior.

Embodying the essence of new-age design is Warsaw’s latest cathedral
of commerce, the Zlote Tarasy, or Golden Terraces, developed by the ING
Real Estate firm and Los Angeles-based The Jerde Partnership in 2007.

Located right next to the transport hub of Warsaw’s central railway
station the mega mall’s impressive wave-shaped glass dome acts as a
homing beacon for retailers like The Body Shop, the Zara and
Stradivarius clothing chains and the American music-themed Hard Rock
Cafe.

“The greatest architectural challenge was the design of the
undulating glass roof, which is one of the largest in the world with
more than 4,700 individual panes of glass,” explains David Rogers,
senior designer and partner at The Jerde Partnership, who lead the
design team on this spacious conglomerate.

“Each triangular piece of glass was individually made and shaped to
fit into its respective steel slot, similar to assembling an intricate
but fragile puzzle. The shape and style of the undulating glass roof was
inspired by the tree canopies in Warsaw’s historic parks.”

The fast-paced modernization, coupled with the then availability of
capital is credited for the explosive growth in Warsaw’s real estate
development scene. To broaden the scope of interest of in the imminent
architectural landmark, developers have also enlisted the services of
brand-name architects like Daniel Libeskind, the Polish-born American
architect who masterminded New York’s Ground Zero and Berlin’s
contemporary Jewish Museum.

For his hometown, Libeskind has designed Zlota44, a soaring 192-meter
tall condominium to be built in center of Warsaw by 2010. The angular
glass-clad tower, commissioned by the Luxembourg-based Orco Property
Goup, will be home to 251 luxury apartments and a slew of
state-of-the-art amenities, including a 25-meter long indoor pool.

The modernization across Warsaw’s skyline is closely linked to
Poland’s strong economic performance and rising foreign direct
investment over the past decade. In 2007, a study of cross-border
investment flows commissioned by Ernst & Young and the Polish
Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PaIiIz) ranked the country as
the world’s seventh most desired destination for FDI, drawing over 12
billion euro to the capital.

Undoubtedly, the spur in investment in high-profile architectural
projects and the ensuing buzz of business activity has contributed to
turning Warsaw, once again, into a newly-styled business and tourism
destination.

The pre-war edifice may be crumbling—with nearly all the battered,
raw-brick surfaces covered in graffiti. And the courtyard may be overrun
with weeds, but that hasn’t stopped the pleasure-seekers from packing
in the place at all hours of the night. What may look like a squatters
block party at first glance is just a regular weekend night at a romkert
(ruin bar) in downtown Budapest. Deep inside the history-filled rubble
of District VII, the Jewish Quarter, a coterie of wildly disheveled ruin
bars have turned abandoned buildings, old cellars, and derelict public
properties into bastions of Bohemian cool. Ruin bars have become one of
the great Budapest attractions—intriguing places with unexpected layers
of detail which you could easily spend a few hours taking in.

Budapest’s bustling ruin bar scene in the city’s Jewish quarter embodies a gritty
underground vibe with a potent gastronomic touch – you just have to know
where to look.

Over the past decade, ruin bars have introduced a new wave of
entertainment in Budapest. They have expanded beyond boozy revelry into
cultural, and often, gastronomic hotspots. Beyond the eclectic
furniture—which was rejected from others, but characterizes these
places— makeshift artworks and ramshackle dance floors, some ruin pubs
have also become fine places to eat as well drink. Some have set up
burger bars and pizza parlors, others offer artisan beer and high-end
Hungarian tipples, and there’s even one which hosts a farmer’s market
every Sunday.

Here’s a rundown of Budapest’s best bohemian bars. 

Szimpla Kert

Kazinczy utca 14, 1075 Budapest / +36 20 261 8669

The jumping off point for ruin bars is Szimpla Kert (which translates
as “Simple Garden”), a pioneering maze of rooms oriented around an
artfully chaotic garden filled with worn-out tables, chairs and some
truly bizarre objects-turned-furniture (half a bathtub converted into a
couch and half a Trabant turned into chairs). It was launched in 2001 as
an outlawed summer pop-up bar by four young entrepreneurs who, in a few
short years, turn their grass roots endeavor into a bohemian cultural
oasis. Today, Szimpla Kert hosts regular concerts, exhibits and artistic
events, including film festivals, an open-air art house cinema during
the summer, and theatrical performances. Since 2012, it also hosts a
fantastic farmer’s market on Sundays with dozens of local farmers and
producers selling their artisanal products. There’s even a communal
kitchen where there’s a weekly rotating crew of exhibitors and food
bloggers preparing mouth-watering delicacies.

Grandio Bar and Party Hostel

Nagy Diófa utca 8, 1072 Budapest / +36 70 670 0390

Just one street from Szimpla, this is the spot where the late-night
revelry continues until the wee hours in the graffiti-strewn dorm rooms
upstairs. On the ground floor, a dense jungle of plants and street
artist creations lend a mystique to the courtyard, which lures both
local hipsters and bash-and-crash backpackers alike. The drinks menu is
pretty standard (just a handful of local and imported beer, a few
Hungarian wines, and the usual cocktail suspects), but there’s an
outdoor grill where hamburger variations send out deliciously tempting
smells.

Kőleves Kert

Kazinczy utca 37-41, 1075 Budapest / +36 1 322 1011

“Stone Soup Garden” is the summertime extension of the popular
Kőleves restaurant a few houses down This compact nook boasts colorful
seating on layers of pebbles, murals on the wall, and a circular wooden
bar with swings. It’s best to get take-out from the restaurant (the
Jewish-Hungarian classics are all worth a try) and enjoy your meal with a
cool brew or a white wine spritzer (fröccs) in the garden.

Ellátó Kert

Kazinczy utca 45,1075 Budapest / +36 20 527 3018

For more of freewheeling vibe mixed with a touch of Mexican flair,
this hangout is replete with brightly colored furnishings, ping-pong and
foosball tables, and a crowd of cyclists, students post-work
locals thirsty for a hedonistic night out. They serve simple Mexican
dishes (tacos, tortillas, and fajitas) and a good variety of drinks from
fröccs (white wine spritzers) variations to tequilas. The house
specialty is pinky, a pink grapefruit vodka shot.

Fogas Ház & Fogas Kert

Akácfa utca 51, 1072 Budapest / +36 1 783 8820

Bringing a more cultural bent to the boozy carnage, Fogas Ház &
Fogas Kert bills itself as a “cultural reception space” where the
succession of rooms host exhibitions by contemporary artists,
avant-garde theatre productions, and indie concerts. The place arrived
on the scene in 2012 by way of a dynamic team of creatives who
revived the abandoned building and courtyard which had previously been a
dental clinic (hence the name “House of Teeth”) and all the
teeth-themed art. The menu of special cocktails and homemade lemonade is
a welcome addition, as are the more-than-filling snacks (such as
chicken thighs, kolbász, and steak potatoes).

Mazel Tov

Akácfa utca 47,1074 Budapest / +36 70 626 4280

A decidedly more sanitized and sophisticated version of the ruin bar
experience can be had at Mazel Tov, the new kid on the block. The gritty
furnishings and vibrant art that are de rigueur in many ruin bars are
ditched here in favor of simple-yet-sleek design along the lines of
wooden tables, wrought-iron chairs, neat tile work, and strings of bare
light bulbs. The district’s Jewish heritage is honored in both name and
spirit, with a complete (and very tasty) Middle-Eastern kitchen operated
by the proprietor of the city-wide Hummus Bar chain, as well as
traditional and contemporary Israeli music softly wafting through the
loudspeakers.

Corvintető

Blaha Lujza tér 1-2,1085 Budapest  / +36 20 772 2980

Setting up shop on top of a giant Communist-era supermarket, this
rooftop ruin bar quite literally raised the bar on the competition.
There’s a small and hard-to-find service elevator that’s worth asking
around for unless you want to trudge up the six flights of stairs, but
whichever way you make it to the top, you’ll be rewarded with great
views of the city as well as a laid-back crowd of mostly locals. Outdoor
film screenings are held during the summer months, but a sizable dance
floor a floor below curbs dance fever year-round.

Beyond the Jewish Quarter

Dürer Kert

Ajtósi Dürer sor 19-21, 1146 Budapest / +36 1 789 4444

Far from the ever-buzzing Jewish district, next to the leafy City
Park, Dürer Kert is a trendy spot to dance the night away. Despite the
out-of-center location, the city’s young urbanites gather here for the
diverse line-up of concerts, DJ sets, and various new-age exhibits. The
spacious gravel-filled garden has all the usual ruin bar equipment:
mismatched furniture, a large bus filled with ample drinking space and a
few table foosball tables for light evening exercise.

Instant

Nagymező utca 38, 1065 Budapest / +36 1 311 0704

For a hodgepodge of whimsy and electronic sounds nothing beats this
cavernous structure on Budapest’s so-called “Broadway Street”.
Psychedelic design elements such as a chandelier of flying blue fishes,
glowing butterflies, and giant white flying owl or a boar-shaped disco
ball lend a suitably eccentric feel to the place that is beloved by
fun-loving 20- and 30-somethings.

AnKER’T

Paulay Ede utca 33, 1061 Budapest / +36 30 360 3389

Tucked away in a former factory on a street parallel to the Opera
House, this enormous summertime garden bar is made up of connecting
courtyards. The feel is urban-chic and very minimalistic, with a long
bar and dance floor topped with white canvas roofing in the first
courtyard and the city’s first and only sand-filled urban beach in the
following one. The drink selection is extensive and reasonably priced,
but the real daytime attraction is the tasty barbecue and vegetable
dishes that pair well with the televised sports games and the sandy
lounging.

In the space of a year, Warsaw’s burgers have gone from fast food to slow food quality. We meet the people behind the city’s new gourmet craze.

by Anna J. Kutor

Photo courtesy of Warburger

It’s 11.50 on Friday in Warsaw, and crowd of young professionals and hipster types
are circling around Warburger, a little shack stationed on a leafy northern
pocket of town. Inside the black-and-white cabin, an energetic duo of
chef-cum-servers are bustling about, packing out the bins of grass-fed beef,
sliced Mimolette cheese, bacon and jalapeño peppers, not to mention large bags
of freshly backed buns. In ten minutes, the first of the midday masses will
stream through the glass doors to chow down on the city’s the hottest menu
item: gourmet burgers.

Gone are the days when street food meant gut-busting kebabs and greasy zapiekanka
(grilled open-faced sandwiches). Reaping the benefits of a culinary
coming-of-age, Warsaw’s eating landscape has embraced a higher-quality,
healthier and more adventurous philosophy at many levels – from fine dining to
curbside cuisine. A gaggle of like-minded gastropreneurs are now getting
creative with the classic American hamburger, dishing up overstuffed
between-the-bun creations with prime Angus, Kobe or locally sourced beef and
customizable or innovative toppings. By taking Slow Food principles to the
streets, these new-age burger kings have crafted super-sized tastes of triumph,
and local appetites are rising in lockstep.

There’s no shortage of specialty burger joints blazing the luxe beef trail. Some are polished, design-magazine
worthy places such as Charlie Food & Friends and Brooklyn Burgers &
Wings that cater to well-heeled beef-lovers. Others, including Burger Bar and
Mr. Pancake, are cozy neighborhood spots with a fiercely loyal following.
There are also a few on-the-go kitchens like Soul Food Bus and Bobby Burger
that take their juicy flavor bombs where the cool-kids congregate. Each
hotspot puts their own unique spin on the quarter-pounder, but what unites
their operations is a zealous commitment to fresh produce and customizable
options influenced by a gamut of bold flavors.

But with so many contenders and newcomers vying for the burger supremacy, the question is which is the
meatiest, most sumptuous bit of heaven between two buns. Happily, we’ve taken
an eat-and-run tour of the city’s edible riches and compiled the standout
warriors in Warsaw’s ongoing burger wars. Grab some extra napkins, loosen your
belt buckle, and let the digestive delights begin.

Photo courtesy of Warburger

Warburger

“After eating good burgers in several European capitals, we realized that it was time to introduce them to
Warsaw,” says chef-owner Adam Zakrzewski, who together with Bartek Pirkel,
makes up the dynamic burger-flipping team at Warburger. What they brought to
the culinary table was a rocking formula: contemporary bare-bones design,
relaxed vibe and exceptional burger-building prowess. Traditionalist will enjoy
the tried-and-true classics served on sweet buttery buns, but there’s also an
arsenal of nouvelle variations aiming for the heavyweight title. The Giacomo
Burger, for example, is outfitted with pesto and fried eggs, while the Hangover
Burger comes slathered in American whiskey-infused sauce, and the top-rated
Wild Burger is made of venison and goat cheese. “The slow-food-fast movement
has really caught on in Poland and our burgers are a great example of that. We
source all our ingredients locally, focusing on seasonal products and
free-range gourmet meat, plus a custom-made bun that is a real hit with our
fans. All of that is mixed with passion and the inventiveness of our chefs, so
people can easily eat here several dozens of times without getting bored – as
the queue outside the door shows.”

Bobby Burger

“Really good burgers have a specific second-phase dirty taste that comes from beef with high meat-to-tallow
ratio mixed with a pinch of seasalt and freshly ground pepper before grilling.
That beef-dirty taste makes you go crazy,” enthuses Bogumił “Bobby” Jankiewicz,
proprietor and namesake of Bobby Burger. That so-called dirty quality, coupled
with a blend of informality and high-touch service, may be why Bobby has built
up a dedicated fanbase. You won’t find any whimsically-named burgers and flashy
extras here, just a stripped-down menu of four burger-on-bun creations each
with a succulent chunk of beef sandwiched between crispy buns anointed with a
choice of melting cheese, crispy bacon and sauces. “It’s important to let the
quality of the main ingredients shine.”

“Our goal has always been to sell quality burgers in places with lots of people and a lack of good food, which is why we started with a food truck,” explains Bobby. That mobile culinary dream
became such a runaway success with the late-night party posse that Bobby soon
doubled it’s operation by launching a catering trailer targeting the lunchtime
office crowds. By partnering with cultural trendsetters Norbert Redkie and
Bartłomiej Kraciuk of Grupa Warszawa, the movable feast rolled into a
brick-and-mortar premises in the hipster battleground of Powisle precinct and
is now primed from city-wide expansion. “To reach the widest audience possible
we set the affordable prices and follow our customers from their workplace to
their nighttime activities. We also have a delivery option, so we can also take
the goods to people’s doorsteps.”

Photo courtesy of Barn Burger

Barn Burger

“Slow food really stepped into
the focus last year and with that, the capital’s palate increasingly started
craving premium, always-fresh ingredients, even in burgers,” explains Jacek
Petryk and Maciej Folman, the brains behind Barn Burger. The downtown burgerie
– dreamt up during the kick-off day of the EURO 2012 Football Championships -
rocketed to foodie stardom with an edgy and inventive selection of
mouth-watering burgers that tickle pleasure receptors at every bite. Maybe it’s
the luscious hunk of beef, or the intriguing combination of condiments – think
grilled tofu, truffle sauce, cranberries and Highlander oscypek cheese - or the
soft mouthfeel of the bun that hold the whole messy package together. Whatever
it is, eating these robust patties is pure happiness. “It’s all about getting
the right meat. Each of our burgers, from the spicy Muppet Burger to the extra
Rockefeller Burger, have a blend of carefully selected Charolai beef that gives
exceptional depth of flavour. Then there’s the deluxe steak burgers made from
300 grams of ground rib-eye and tenderloin that have really caught on with
connoisseurs. We also make a point of coming up with a monthly rotation of
Limited Edition variations garnished with unexpected toppings such as caviar,
seafood, ginger and avocados.” 

CHARLIE FOOD & FRIENDS

“It took some time for Poles to
realize that burgers don’t necessarily mean fast or junk food, but that they
can also serve as a decent quality meal, best shared with friends and a side of
cold beer,” highlights Kamila Dziudziek, Business Development Manager of
Charlie Food & Friends. The domain of Polish cafe chain W Beigu Cafe
creator Maciej Adamaszek and his team of like-minded visionaries, this modern
urban casual dining spot makes a striking statement not just with its location,
inside the grand Rondo 1 tower, but also with its design: lime green chairs,
LED spotlights and large photographs of urban landmarks that fill the pristine
white, semi-industrial space. But the menu is what really makes clued-in
gourmands froth at the mouth: rather than a choice of pre-constructed
sandwiches, you get to choose the buns, a pile of toppings, and the grill-time
of the meat - all of which contribute to the burger of your dreams. “Charlie’s
recipe for good burgers is making them personal. With over twenty different
add-ons, our Pick&Mix self-service menu has something to fulfill every
taste and desire. We also strive to add a little wit to our burgers by offering
non-trivial toppings such as cooked pears, tapenade, beetroot or parsley-root
in honey and herbs.”

Photo courtesy of Soul Food Bus

SOUL FOOD BUS

“We were the first food truck serving original burgers in Warsaw or perhaps in
Poland which created a lot of hype and buzz about us, so the response was fast,
as evidenced by the amount of good and bad burger bars that sprung up around
the city,” says Michał Krzaklewski and Marek Ignaciuk, co-founding friends of
Soul Food Bus. Breaking free of their corporate shackles, the enterprising pair
set their red meals-on-wheels operation into motion in 2011 and proved that the
capital has quite an appetite for trendiness. Apart from the hipster factor,
what continues to pulls in hungry carnivores is their creative shake-up of
American and Mexican specialties, including several bun-and-patty combos
packing plenty of va va voom. The Bacon Cheese burger is an out-and-out
favourite, but more extravagant Jamaican (dressed with grilled pineapples),
Swiss (including Brie cheese and ruccola) and Pimento (with salami and pimento
sauce) variants are also knock-your-sock-off delicious. “The best burgers are
the ones where all the carefully-selected ingredients work together
harmoniously, but at the heart lies the meat, which has to be unique and original
to stand out. We source ours from a farm in Podlasie, one of Polands cleanest
regions.”

Photo courtesy of Soul Food Bus

High above a steep rocky peak of central Moldova, my eyes sweep over the
boundless vista of vine-covered hills and the deep river valleys that is
elegantly dressed by the afternoon sun. Quiet reigns here save for the soft
sounds of popping of corks from bottles of locally produced wines. The
ambrosial scent of richly structured wine and fresh artisan cheese wafts
through the room, lifted by the gust of a crisp breeze. Such is the seductive
dolce vita character of Chateau Vartely, a hilltop winery and tourism complex
nestled into the side of a limestone slope in the historic town of Orhei, 60
kilometers north of the capital Chisinau.

The air of well-crafted sophistication of this estate feels strangely out of
place. This is, after all, the poorest corner of Europe. But Moldova, a sliver
of a country wedged between Ukraine and Romania, is practically defined by
contrasts.

About 150,000 hectares of vineyards make Moldova one of the regions largest
grape growers, trumping both regional Hungary and Bulgaria in terms of size;
yet it merits barely a passing mention in most wine encyclopedias. Surprising
to many is the fact that viticulture is one of the strongholds of the country’s
economy, producing over 100,000 hectoliters annually according to figures from
Moldova-Vin Agricultural and Industrial Agency.

The wine industry even employs some 27 percent of the working population and
accounts for 15 percent of the annual budget and over 85 percent of the entire
production is sold to foreign markets, highlight the figures by Moldova-Vin.

“Wine has always been part of the culture. It’s consumption has
been centered around cheap high-volume brands, so now we’re focusing on
teaching customers how to appreciate premium quality wines,” says
Arcadie Fosnea, the German-trained master winemaker at Chateau Vartely, who has
been instrumental in turning the winery into a benchmark of quality in the
domestic industry.

To establish the ambitious enterprise, no less than 20 million euro was
invested by a group of foreign financiers who saw an opportunity in a high-end
winery and tourism facility that fuses a sense of Moldova’s history with
Western business acumen, cutting-edge technology and marketing savvy.

As an seasoned innovator and risk-taker, Fosnea has overseen the plantation
of more than 220 hectares of vineyards since 2004, cultivating new grape
varieties for the winery. Besides the top-selling Chardonnay, Sauvigon Blanc
and Traminer, he has also introduced new wines to the portfolio, among them
refreshing roses from Merlot and Pinot Noir and sweet Muscat and Riesling ice
wines.

While up market Moldovan wines such as Chateau Vartely have started to secure
a global foothold, Moldovan viticulture has enjoyed a long history tracing its
roots back to the earliest Greek colonization of the area. The industry was
dealt a mixed deck of economic, social and political cards throughout its
history, but it was wartime destruction, massive replanting, swelling demand
for low-quality bulk wine and post-Soviet privatization of wineries which
dominated the 20th century.

But the most economically crushing and industry-changing blow by far was
Russia’s politically inspired embargo on Moldovan wine and meat in 2006.
Russia, which traditionally imported some 75 percent of all wine produced in
Moldova, imposed the restrictions citing safety risks and quality impurities,
including the presence of heavy metals and pesticide. Failing to provide any
evidence of contamination underline the view that the wine blockade was in fact
reprisal for ongoing disputes over the breakaway territory of Transnistria. As
a result wine production dropped 60 percent and over half of country’s wineries
were forced to close their doors. Those left standing scrambled to find new
markets.

In Fosnea’s words: “Before, nobody put any effort into marketing
wines as all the poor quality semi-sweet wines were sold out. The 20-month
Russian ban changed the rules of the game. Only the strongest wineries survived
and they did so by imposing strict quality control standards, diversifying to
Western markets and crafting more delicate, European-style wines.”

At the tail end of the trade crisis, seven leading wineries banded together
to form the Moldovan Wine Guild in an effort to weather the changing
marketplace and design a fitting image for Moldovan wine.

“This organization is a force of progressive and like-minded wineries
that were ready to embrace new technology and a style that would cater to
Western consumers,” says Doina Nistor, the head of the Competitiveness
Enhancement and Enterprise Development (CEED), a project sponsored by the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that focuses on strengthening
Moldovan private sector businesses.

“One aspect of our support is creating a proactive marketing
attitude and developing new promotion techniques in target markets, which we’ve
identified as Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom.”

Another company that is putting Moldova on the map as a producer of
reasonable-priced wines is the Vinaria Purcari winery. Set in the verdant hills
of the southeastern Purcari region, some 60 kilometers from the Black Sea, this
rural estate is swathed by more than 200 hectares of neatly choreographed
vines.

Cabernet Sauvigon, Merlot, Malbec and the indigenous Rara Neagra grapes
perform particularly well here, which go into the company’s signature
single-varietal wines as well as blends such as Rosu de Purcari and Negru de
Purcari, famed wines that have garnered accolades for their intense, complex
aromas and opulent fruit flavors.

Aside from award-winning wines, Vinaria Purcari bears witness to the duality
of tradition and modernity. The cross-shaped underground cellar harks back to
the winery’s 1827 roots, with large oak barrels, bare-brick walls and vaulted
passageways lined with collection wines and cobweb-covered bottles, including
ones earmarked for Queen Victoria in 1861. The rest of the premises consists of
state-of-the-art machinery and production plants in addition to an elegant
restaurant and an eight-room hotel. This emphasis on controlled quality,
personal hospitality and old-meets-new atmosphere makes Purcari one of the
most-visited and best-recognized spots on the work-in-progress Moldovan Wine
Route.

A tourism development project initiated by local officials, the Moldovan
Wine Route aims to create a single point entry to the world of Moldovan wine by
linking influential state-owned and private wineries including Milestii Mici,
Cricova, Chateau Vartely, Cojusna, Branesti and Chateau Migdal-P. Challenged by
poor coordination, lack of proper financing support as well as general
logistical problems such as rutted roads and the shortage of directional signs
the project is still in the early stages.

Yet late last year bringing a breath of fresh air to the local wine scene
was a crop of dynamic young winemakers who assembled under another banner, the
Moldovan Small Wine Producers Association. Quality over quantity is a binding
attitude amongst the group with production levels maxing out at 10,000 bottles
for the labels which include Et Cetera, Equinox, Mezalimpe, Pelican Negru and
Vinaria Nobila.

Building on international wine experience, these producers have experimented
by cultivating new grape varieties, introducing organic viticulture practices
and fine-tuning old formulas to produce top-shelf wine for more discerning
clients.

An important facet of the small producer’s operation is harnessing the
benefits of team power and joining together to lobby for changes in very
bureaucratic local regulations. They also share a vision of improving the
culture of wine in the country. To that end the group organizes a series of
wine tastings in Chisinau’s most exclusive restaurants and uses social
networking sites like as Facebook to sustain a back-and-forth interaction with
clients. They have also published a catalogue detailing each member’s
background, vineyard parameters and winemaking philosophy.

“Day by day we see new enthusiasts developing a thirst for learning
about different types of fine wine and how to experience them,” says
Alexandru Luchianov, the dapper half of a brotherly tandem that owns and
manages Et Cetera, a boutique winery producing intensely flavored Cabernet
Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Our group is laying the foundation for the
next-generation of independent winemakers and a more quality-oriented phase in
the Moldovan long-standing relationship with wine.”