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.”