Moldova Hits New Records in Wine Exports

Moldovan wine exports registered a record year in 2019, with nine per cent more sent abroad than in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Vine and Wine.

Both the volume of Moldovan wine exports and their value were at the highest level recorded since 2014.

Moldova exported 156,674 million litres of wine in 2019, compared to 12,607 million litres in 2018.

In 2013, Moscow imposed an economic embargo on Moldova, which hit wine exports in particular. The Russian Consumer Protection Service alleged that wine from Moldova was of "unsatisfactory quality".

Analysts claimed however that the Russian embargo was politically motivated because Moldova was moving away from Moscow and getting closer to the EU.

Moldovan producers then reorientated their goods to European markets after Chisinau signed an Association Agreement with the EU in June 2014.

At the time the embargo was introduced, Moldova's largest export market for wine was Russia, which took over 24.8 million litres.

By 2018, according to data provided by the Moldovan authorities, the top-three destinations for Moldovan wines were Romania with 13.8 per cent of the export share (6.07 million litres), Poland with 12.8 per cent (5.63 million litres), and Russia with 12.7 per cent (5.6 million litres).

Bulk wine exports also registered significant growth in 2019 and reached 108,002 million litres - 70 per cent of the total volume.

The top ten destinations for bulk wine exports from Moldova are Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Britain, the Czech Republic, Romania, Germany, Ukraine, China and Italy.

The increase in the volume of bulk wine sent for export is due to the fact that the grape harvest in 2019 exceeded the average.

Moldovan wines were exported to 67...

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