foodwineclick

Feteasca Neagra and Rara Neagra are grapes native Moldova

Wine Pairing Weekend Meets Wines of Moldova
July brings our Wine Pairing Weekend blogging group to a virtual trip to Moldova, a small country in Eastern Europe. Moldova is working to raise awareness of the country as a wine region and a wine tourism destination. After attending a press trip to Moldova last summer, I was impressed with the progress they have made since the difficult Soviet years. I worked with my friends in the Wine of Moldova organization and they thoughtfully provided samples for our group. Take a look farther down in this post for links to all the posts and details to join our discussion on Twitter.

(click on any photo for full-size slide show, hit escape to return)

A large portion of Moldova is dedicated to grape growing and winemaking

Dr. Georghe Arpentin welcomed us to Moldova

Snejana, the owner of the bar welcomed us and made sure we felt at home

There are not one but two estates in Moldova who have larger wine caves than those found in the Champagne region of France. Literally hundreds of kilometers of tunnels carved in the limestone

Entire wineries build underground

Wines of all types are made in Moldova.

Beautiful facade of Castel Mimi

In operation since 1827, Chateau Purcari is the largest producer in Moldova today

Newly built, but very traditionally styled wine tourism village at Asconi Winery

Traditional cellars at Asconi

Not all is tradition. Atu is a new urban winery concept, showing the way to the future.

Our group’s final dinner in Chișinău was at the very traditional Roata Vremii restaurant, a “don’t miss” experience.

Chateau Purcari – a Leading Winery and Destination
One of the wines we enjoyed for this post came from Chateau Purcari. One of the largest wineries in Moldova today, Chateau Purcari provides a good example of the efforts the wineries are making to welcome international visitors.

Chateau Purcari is located in the beautiful countryside, vineyards are nearby

The winery grounds are beautiful and immaculately kept

The winery itself is fully modern, and they are exploring some of the most recent techniques

Beautiful facilities

Fine dining onsite

Chateau Purcari is a 2 hour drive from Chisinau, so they have made accommodations for overnight guests

You might overlook the vineyards!

Cabin Life in Minnesota – Simple but Not Too Simple
We planned to enjoy our Moldovan wines at our family cabin over the July 4th week. When we’re at the cabin, we like to keep meals pretty simple but still delicious. Appetizers by the water and dinner on the screen porch is pretty much a perfect dinnertime routine.

Disclosure: the wines for this post were provided as samples. All opinions expressed are my own.

Chateau Purcari Pinot Grigio had a few surprised for us.

Cheeses, fruit, charcuterie and shatterproof wine glasses

It helps if the wine glasses also float!

Pinot Grigio de Purcari 2018 (sample, $23 SRP) 13.5% abv
Eye: Clear, pale gold.
Nose: Clean with medium intensity aromas of white blossom and white rose, fresh yellow apple, pear, lemon and apricot. Subtle notes of wet stones and brie cheese.
Mouth: Dry with pronounced fruitiness with medium intensity flavors emphasizing the fruits noted above. The acidity was medium, with medium alcohol, medium body, a creamy texture. The wine had a medium finish with a touch of almond bitterness in the finish (note this is typical for Pinot Grigio)
Observations: Everyone enjoyed this wine out at the dock. It has more aroma and flavor than many Pinot Grigio’s with pretty floral and fruit aromas and pronounced fruit flavor. We enjoyed it on a late summer afternoon and it paired well with cheese, fruit and charcuterie.

Radacini “Ampre” Saperavi, Feteasca Neagra & Merlot 2018 (sample, $20 SRP) 13% abv
Eye: Clear, medium ruby color.
Nose: Clean with pronounced intensity aromas of dried blackberries, blueberries, black plums and raisins. Along with the fruit, pronounced aromas of caramel, vanilla, cloves, cedar.
Mouth: The wine is dry with pronounced intensity of dried blue and black fruits as noted above along with the oak related notes of vanilla, caramel, cedar and cloves. The wine had medium acidity, medium+ fine grained tannins with medium alcohol, medium+ body and a medium+ fruit filled finish.
Observations: Radacini’s self-proclaimed goal is to provide wines with expressive bouquet, and they have succeeded here. If you love a red wine that jumps out of the glass, you’ll love Radacini Ampre.

Dinner on the Porch with Moldovan Wine
Our dinner was delicious and the Radacini Ampre paired nicely with the steak, simply grilled over charcoal. The side dish of grilled carrots with avocado and mint was absolutely delicious, but it was a bit of a mismatch with the wine. The dish is built on a marinade/dressing with serrano peppers which didn’t cooperate so well with the intense fruit of the wine. Still, we enjoyed the dinner, the wine and the company.

Wine Pairing Weekend Collaboration with Wines of Moldova

Take a look below to see the variety of wines from Moldova and the creativity of our cooks! Then, please join our conversation on Twitter on Saturday, July 11 at 10-11am CDT (1800-1900h in Moldova). Just search for the hashtag #winepw on Twitter and let us know you’re there!

Andrea at The Quirky Cork shares “Cooking Out with Moldovan Wine”

Liz at What’s in that Bottle shares “Moldova Mashup: Wines of Moldova & Foods of the World“

Terri at Our Good Life shares “Special Celebration and Moldova Wines”

Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Smoked Pot Roast with a Negru de Purcari from Moldova”

David at Cooking Chat shares “Ground Beef Chili with Red Wine from Moldova”

Deanna at Asian Test Kitchen shares “Pairing Moldovan Wine with Burmese Cuisine”

Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Finally, a grill! Just in time for Moldovan wine pairing”

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Maidens from Moldova + Summer Suppers”

Jennifer at Vino Travels Italy shares “A Look into the Wines of Moldova”

Jane at Always Ravenous shares “Savory Cheese Crostata Paired with Moldovan Wines”

Michelle at Rockin Red Blog shares “Discovering Wines of Moldova.”

Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “Have You Tasted Wines from Moldova? Try These!”

Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Uncorking Moldova – Three Wines To Try Now”

Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares “Getting To Know the Wines of Moldova”

Nicole at Somms Table shares “Tasty Moldovan Food & Wine Explorations”

Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “Moldova: Bubbles, Red Blend, and …Pizza? Yes!”

Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Moldovan Wines and Korean Sushi – Kimbap”

Susannah from Avvinare shares “Moldova – An Ancient Country with Beautiful Wines to Discover”

Jill at L’Occasion shares “A First Taste of Moldova Wines”

Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Cabin Pairings for Moldovan Wines”