Moldova lies at the eastern edge of Europe, where Eastern and Western cultures meet. Its food and wine bring together influences of both regions. Both food and wine have amazing intensity of flavour from growing in excellent soils and with an ideal climate for growing deliciously fresh local vegetables, fruit and cheeses, and not forgetting the walnuts which line just about every roadside. Caroline Gilby MW gives us the rundown of key grape varietes and wine styles to explore in Moldova...
Which are the key grape varieties in Moldova?
Moldova’s wines are an intriguing mixture of the familiar and the exotic. Western grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Aligoté and Pinot Noir have been in the country since the early 19th century. Russian nobles and army officers back then enjoyed the status of owning a winery and employing French winemakers, who inevitably arrived with their own grapes. In the early 19th century, Tsar Alexander I gave gifts of land to encourage farmers from Germany, France and Switzerland to settle in the south of the country. Winemakers were particularly encouraged, so grapes like Riesling arrived at that time. Being part of the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union, also meant that grapes from further east, particularly Rkatsiteli and Saperavi were widely planted.
