Assessing Competitiveness In Moldova's Economy - Economic Growth

Development Alternatives, Inc. Moldova Competitiveness Assessment: The Wine Cluster—Annex B
THE WINE CLUSTER
ANNEX B: MOVING TOWARD A NEW WORLD WINE STYLE
There are two important categories of impediment to commercial success for Moldovan
wines in premium markets: quality and style.
Many wines produced in Moldova have inadequate quality for presentation in premium
markets. Even so, some producers are offering wines that would be readily accepted in
premium markets. However, most wines tasted are not suitable for western markets because
of inappropriate style, irrespective of their quality. The customary wine styles in Moldova are
appreciated in Moldova’s main export markets now, that is, Russia and other CIS states,
mainly because of their price advantage. Generally speaking, however, wines popular in the
West tend to be fruitier: the taste of the grape is more evident. Bouquets are more intense,
and the mouth feel is fuller.
Notable examples of wine style incompatibilities, with respect to higher value markets are:
Tannins—For red wines, the preference is for more tannins. But the tannins must be soft
and well integrated, not the green tannins typical of wines drunk too soon.
Oak—Another important style difference is oak: western style red wines are usually
matured for a time in small oak barrels, so that the bouquet and flavor include
components derived from new oak, which is usually “toasted” to a degree.
The oaked style of white wine, especially Chardonnay, is still very popular in premium
markets. This style usually incorporates oak by fermenting in new barrels. Of course, oak
is expensive, and using it increases production costs. But Eastern European oak is as
useful as French or American oak, and it is a lot cheaper. Moldovan oak, however, tends
to grow too fast and so to be insufficiently dense for wine maturation. That is, the oak
flavor components are not as concentrated as in slower growing American, Hungarian,
French, and Russian oak. Some Romanian oak is sufficiently dense, and has been used
successfully for wine maturation.
The tradition of maturation in small oak barrels is not widely practiced in Moldova and
so very few wines exhibit the added complexity derived from oak. However, some of the
most progressive Moldovan companies have begun to experiment with French oak. For
example, Bas Vinex have about 1,000 barrels at their Romanesti winery. They bought
French oak staves, assembled by local coopers.
Large, old oak barrels—Unfortunately, many older wineries still cling to the tradition of
“aging” both red and white wine in large, old oak barrels. This is a sure way to lose fruit
flavor and aroma, and if they are not thoroughly cleaned, they are a source of off-flavors
and volatility. There is no place in modem winemaking for large oak barrels. They are a
habit inherited from a time when no better material was available for the fabrication of
wine storage vessels. There is no point in adopting modern techniques to retain maximum
fruit flavor and aroma, and then to throw it away by storing wine in large oak barrels.
July 2004 • DRAFT Page 25