Moldovan wine

With a production of 124,200 tons of wine (as of 2009), Moldova has a well-established wine industry. It has a vineyard area of 148,500 hectares (367,000 acres) of which 107,800 hectares (266,000 acres) are used for commercial production. The remaining 40,700 hectares (101,000 acres) are vineyards planted in villages around the houses used to make home-made wine, or "vin de casa". Many families have their own recipes and strands of grapes that have been passed down through the generations.

In 2009, Moldova was the twenty-second largest wine producing country in the world. Most of the country's commercial wine production is for export.

67 Million bottles of wine are exported annually, places such as Poland, Russia and USA.

Moldova's climate is perfect for wine making, producing outstanding grapes. Wines of Moldova are believed to be underrated and are loved by people across the globe. Reports were made of the Queen of England ordering Moldovan wine in 2011.

History

Fossils of Vitis teutonica vine leaves near the Naslavcia village in the north of Moldova indicate that grapes grew here approximately 6 to 25 million years ago. The size of grape seed imprints found near the Varvarovca village, which date back to 2800 BC, prove that at that time the grapes were already being cultivated. The grapegrowing and wine-making in the area between the Nistru and Prut rivers, which began 4000–5000 years ago, had periods of rises and falls but has survived through all the changing social and economic conditions.